Fallen Light
by ExDraco
Summary: Risk Altair: A grovyle-hybrid with powers and abilities that span forests and all of nature. He lives a life of fear, everyday worrying about his survival despite his safehaven, and along the way he meets friends, makes new allies and enemies, and goes further and further into uncovering dark secrets he doesn't even know he has. His origins are a mystery, but so is his identity.
1. Prologue: Twin Brothers

Hey, guys! I know it's been a while, but I finally decided to scrap The Existence Artifacts and re-write the whole plot line once more. After looking over and over the plot line, I realized it had far too many flaws, and the parts I had already written were a little disappointing in my perspective. So I've decided to revise it completely, but still using Risk/Kylor as the main character. I now present to you, the first chapter of Fallen Light.

Fallen Light

Prologue Chapter: Twin Brothers

-?-

My name is Risk. Or some people call me Kylor, I don't really mind either way. I live my life everyday on the run, my leaf blades stained with at least a few drops of blood by the end of the day. Some of you might wonder, why the heck do I have leaf blades? The answer is because I'm a hybrid. I was a human, but then I was fused with the DNA of a grovyle, which led to all of these mutations. And although some might think it's great to have powers like these, my perspective is entirely different. Every time I look at my reflection, or when I'm fighting off my enemies, I view my mutations as a painful memory of what I had done six months ago. Some people think of these abilities as a blessing, I think of it as nothing more than an agonizing curse. How this all started, I will have to go back six months to tell the tale.

-Six Months Ago-

"Unh… What…? Where am I?"

I opened my eyes to scan the surroundings, my head resonating with pain as I forced my sight to concentrate on answering two questions, what happened to me, and where was I. My entire body felt like lead, each muscle put out of commission and not one nerve responding to my commands. I hadn't lost all my senses, which was good, at least. I still had my clothes on, that's for sure, but for some reason I just didn't feel like myself.

My surroundings were a typical place to wake up in, just outside a garage of some sort that was simply a tiny area of the overlooking humongous building. I had no idea where I was at the time, all I did know is my eyes were slightly blinded from lights that came from behind, most probably head lights on some vehicle. I still couldn't twist my head to be sure, so that was my best assumption. Now on to my next questions, what had happened to me?

I was thinking I had to wait for my body to recover before I could actually get some answers to my infinite questions, but apparently luck knew patience was not one of my virtues. Soon after my awakening, two soldiers appeared in front of me, and that was when I first realized I was their prisoner. I was locked in a cage like an animal, surrounded by four walls constructed with steel bars that I could only hope of destroying. I seemed to be on an elevated platform, since even though I was collapsed on the floor of the cage I was still at eye-level with the soldiers in front of me.

"So… where… transport… to…" I was sure that wasn't what he was saying, but my ears were still ringing with exhaustion that I couldn't make out clearly what their conversation was about. By using my sight and what I could salvage from my hearing, I concluded that the two in front of me was one soldier and one commander, or someone with higher rank.

"What… condition…?" The commander asked, my hearing still making out only gibberish, or was it?

"Semi-conscious… normal… heart rate… breathing… mutations… complete…"

"Semi…? Why… isn't… sedated…?"

"He won't… be able to break out… anyway…" My hearing was getting better, since I could now hear their conversation slightly clearer.

"Sedate him with a heavier dose; prepare him for three hour transport to Survival Lab."

"Yes, sir. But if he's part of Project Fallen Light," the soldier paused, just enough time for me to wonder what he meant by project, "why was the result a grovyle hybrid?" Those last words led me to wonder what he meant by hybrid too.

"Why the result is so, I don't know, but what I do know is that he is a level five security danger, so keep a close watch on him, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir! I will now go prep for transport."

The soldier turned to my cage, and then he crouched down at what was just below me. I heard the faint sounds of a button being pushed and a switch being flipped, and the next thing I saw was a mass of green fog that caused my sight to black out, and that irritating ringing in my ears came again. It didn't last long, though, as all my senses faded into black as my consciousness lost its grip…

-?-

The first sounds I heard were the sounds of gushing water. There wasn't anything louder than the sound of gushing water, flowing downwards, possibly a waterfall. I didn't see anything but pitch black, and I couldn't remember anything. Well, not everything was lost though; I could still remember my name, at least. My name is Peleus Altair, but that was all I remembered. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't close up the gap between now and the last thing I remember, which was training to learn how to fight.

Why was I training, you ask? It was to protect my little brother; he had a knack for getting in trouble and I always had to bail him out. Not that I was angry at him or anything, but one too many times I found myself defenseless against those who would harm him, so I decided to go off and train to fight. But that's the last thing I remember, I don't remember anything other than that.

After what seemed like a long time in the dark, I opened my eyes to see if I could determine where I was and what had happened, standard procedure when kidnapped in the Pylius Protection Army, or PPA for short. But what I saw after I opened my eyes wasn't in any way possible 'enlightening', since all I saw was exactly the same as if I had never opened my eyes at all.

Either I was being kept in a dark cave inside a waterfall, or they blinded me because all I saw was darkness still. I honestly hoped it was the former instead of the latter, I really didn't want to be a blind person, and the thought itself was scary enough. Thankfully, my suspicions were proved correct, when a wall of some sort opened up, albeit slowly and with a whole lot of mechanical noises, coupled with the sounds of rocks tumbling and splashing in a body of water, like a steel wall disguised behind boulders and rocks.

The light was blinding, and my eyes squinted at first sight but eventually I got used to it and I could see clear as day I was being kept as a prisoner. Of course, I had no idea why but my best assumption would be that I was being kept hostage, but with people like these you just couldn't assume.

I felt vibrations coming from the platform I was on, and soon I found out why. I was sitting inside a steel cage. It was a steel cage on an elevated platform with wheels covered in chains, kind of like what you might see below an army tank. The platform slowly moved towards the light, probably they were transporting me to somewhere else, but for some strange reason I didn't see anywhere nearby.

_It must be an automated platform. I wonder why I have to be transported with no direct contact. _

The reason for that was all but a void to me, so all I could do for now was wait and see what would happen next. Trust me, my reaction to what happened after I got out of that darkness would have happened to anyone normal. As soon as the cage finally burst out into bright daylight, my body responded in sync with the smell of fresh air, and my previously unmovable body finally responded. When I turned my head to see if anything had happened to me, my eyes widened to the size of plates.

My skin had an orange tinge to it, which was the first thing I noticed. If that wasn't shocking enough, I had a tail with a small red ember dancing at the tip. If THAT wasn't enough, my hands were partly replaced by claws that closely resembled that of a Charmeleon's. I had seen some pretty strange things in the PPA, but this definitely creates the new golden standard of weird.

I didn't have much time to marvel at what I had become, as we entered the forest and left the cave behind the waterfall (explains where the gushing water sound came from), green gas surrounded me and I began to feel sleepy… My sight became more and more limited as I collapsed on the cold, hard floor of the cage, a hint of pain erupting from my ribs as I took a forced trip into dreamland…

-Risk-

I didn't know it at the time, but from the moment I awoke, everything would become nothing but chaos.

The second time my eyes opened, I actually remembered what had happened the first time, before that green gas, which I assumed was sleeping gas, knocked me out. This time, I didn't need to wait for my body to respond, since the dose of sleeping gas they gave me probably wasn't as strong as the last. My eyes fluttered open like window shutters and I was up and ready. I was still in that dumb cage, but my surroundings had shifted dramatically, which wasn't surprising to say the least.

This time I was placed in the middle of a small room, surrounded by four steel walls and a ceiling lamp overlooking the entire area. Over in the top-left corner of the room I noticed a small work table, and on top were just a bunch of papers and files bunched up in a pile, coupled with a table lamp that seemed to complete the ensemble. There was a door, of course, at the top-right corner of the room. Even if I got out of this cage somehow, I wouldn't be able to escape; the door had some sort of password protection on it, and I had no idea how to open the door.

There were absolutely no windows at all, which led me to believe that I was currently underground, but I couldn't be sure unless I got out of this dumb room, which didn't seem to be happening any time soon. It seemed surprising to say this, but I actually felt bored. I know it may seem like an insane emotion after being captured by people I don't even know, but all I had to do was stare at the lab's layout and wait for what happened next. Boredom seemed like the sensible thing to feel right now.

Then something I noticed snapped me out of my boredom, changing that feeling into pure dread and shock. A glass mirror was hanging on a peg that stuck into the wall, and I couldn't help but feel as if it was meant for me when I woke. What I saw inside terrified me. I had changed, a lot. My skin had a green tinge instead of the humane pale white, my hair was still blond, but now it overlapped with a really long leaf that seemed to grow out of my head, almost like a grovyle.

My irises had turned blood-red, they were sky blue originally, and my arms had leaf blade growing out of the sides, as if my DNA had been fused with that of a grovyle. I found the strength to stand up inside my cage, realizing that there was enough space for me to stand up straight. Growing out of my… bottom end of my back was a bunch of leaves that had a striking similarity to the tail of a grovyle. I was wearing a black T-shirt along with a pair of black jeans with a skull pattern on each leg.

I suppose my outfit wasn't too bad, despite the freaky mutations and all, now all that was left was to find out what I was doing here and find a way out, both of which I didn't have to wait long for. Soon enough, a team of soldiers all wearing the same exact uniforms with an assault rifle pointed in my general direction emerged from the entrance, and one of them flipped the switch to let me out. All of them cocked their rifles as I stepped out of the cage, as if to say: _Move and we'll blow your brains out._ I would gladly take that warning.

They led me out of that dull room and through the corridor beyond, a semi-circular tunnel that seemed to lead somewhere, with not a window to the outside. My suspicions were confirmed from then on, I was underground. This team of soldiers seemed to be my escorts to somewhere, as to where I didn't know. I didn't have long to wait though, within a two minute walk they dumped me in an elevator. As the lift doors closed they went back to their duties, and the lift ascended the floors. The elevator dinged at the 'Basement Three' floor, and even more soldiers were there to escort me.

I gladly followed them, hoping to find out more to my questions, and hoping to find a way out of here. We walked silently through another corridor; neither a word nor sound was uttered from the soldiers, making the underground air that much tenser. Soon enough, we reached a crossroads in the corridors, the path in front of us replaced with a metal door. One of the soldiers walked over to the side of the door and scanned his palm on it, which was the key to opening it. The soldiers stood in a wall formation behind me, leaving me no choice but to venture onward through the door.

My first thought was: bright. Though the corridors were lighted somewhat, the intensity and brightness of those small lamps was nothing compared to this massive arena. When I say arena, I literally mean a place just meant for fighting. The ground was covered in obstacles such as jutting rocks and slippery ground, and there were balconies hung on the walls above me, watching over like spectators. I almost felt like I was a gladiator or something, but it was just wishful thinking.

At the exact opposite of the battlefield, another 'hybrid' emerged, and quickly scanning his traits I confirmed that he was a charmeleon-hybrid, but for some reason he looked surprisingly familiar…

Then a voice broke into my thoughts, one that boomed over the loudspeakers.

"Alright, let us commence this battle. Lapsus, the Fallen Light, versus Imperius, the Aurum Soul."

-3rd Person-

Both Peleus and Risk had absolutely no idea what was happening at the time, but they understood English enough to discern one thing: whoever that voice belonged to, he was commanding the both of them to fight each other for no damn reason in hell whatsoever. And though it was obviously a command to begin fighting from the voice, neither 'Lapsus' nor 'Imperius' felt compelled to start a battle one bit. That was the case, at least, until the voice boomed another line through the loudspeakers.

"Oh, and to give you both some motivation, the winner of this battle shall be given his freedom."

That line, though short and somewhat sweet, was enough to send the entire field into pure chaos. Those simple eighteen words, the word 'freedom' in particular, were enough to spark an obligation to battle in both of these hybrids. Of course, neither was as psychotic as the person on the other side of the loudspeakers, and they were both gentlemanly enough to say one line before their battle began.

"This is just for freedom, so no hard feelings, right?" Risk spoke first.

"Same here. Let's finish this quick."

And so, the battle ensued, and escalated to an all-out two hybrid warzone. The first strike came from Peleus, who fired a Fire Shot through the network of rocks covering the battlefield, a straight path to hit Risk. The fireball streaked past the intended target, as the grovyle hybrid ducked under a rock waiting for the fireball to hit the wall. Returning fire with Edge Boomerang, he summoned leaves to act as boomerang and circle around to hit Peleus, though with Blaze, a teleportation skill, he evaded easily.

Peleus landed just beside Risk as a streak of fire, and from ranged the battle turned to hand-to-hand combat. Peleus kept up the constant pressure with Inferno Helix, while Risk countered each strike perfectly with his own Leaf Blade. They exchanged blow after blow, sparks hit the ground and bounced off the rocks as the mortal combat escalated to a much faster pace with each attack.

Peleus slashed horizontally with his attack, and this time luck was on his side. Risk managed to side-step, but barely as the embers dancing off his opponent's palm lightly grazed his shoulder, a gash mark now evident on his lightly-green skin. Risk immediately counter-attacked with Razor Pierce, in which he condensed sharp-edge leaves into the form of a large blade, and well, pierced Peleus with it. Peleus, on the other hand, dodged with ease, and returned with another Fire Shot. This time, Risk increased his speed with Instant Flash, and the fireball struck nothing but the air around it.

Risk had practically vanished, and Peleus looked left and right, spinning his head in circles as he tried to locate his opponent. It wasn't until too late did Peleus realize that Risk was right above him, as Risk fired Terra Flare, an insane attack that created a mid-size green explosion at where Peleus once stood, leaving him with cuts and injuries all across his body, his clothes ripped and stained with blood.

Then, out of nowhere, Peleus drew a silver blade, a sleek sword with a silver wolf-head insignia in the middle of its cross-guard. Its hilt was made of pure gold, and it was wrapped in dragon leather. With his now unsheathed sword, Peleus had the advantage. He continuously spammed Blaze, in which he would vanish off somewhere and re-appear just beside Risk to land a blow. Risk had to keep all of his senses sharp just to be able to dodge SOME of his attacks. Majority managed to land a hit, and within a minute Risk was covered in slashes and bleeding, each cut oozing out blood and staining his skin red.

Peleus never seemed to tire, each time Risk dodged Peleus would simply appear somewhere unexpected and land a hit, with Risk at absolutely no position to block them. With Risk dodging a downward slash from Peleus' sword, he used Instant Flash, dashing at top speeds to behind a boulder, but of course Peleus was already prepared for that. As Risk turned his head to check if Peleus was approaching, Peleus appeared behind him, alerting Risk to his presence with, "Looking for someone?"

Risk spun around in instinct, slashing his leaf blades towards the direction of Peleus' voice. It was a futile attempt though, as his leaf blades were met with Peleus' silver blade, and sliced in half. Blood gushed out from each of the fallen tips and soon the side of the boulder had turned as red as Risk's arms and legs. He collapsed in pain, gripping his arms tightly as he winced in excruciating pain.

Risk's neck was met with Peleus' blade tip, and with a smug expression Peleus said, "I suppose this is my win. You lose, grovyle."

A loud clapping came over the loudspeakers, "Well done! Well done! You both fought very hard, I am impressed by your prowess. Now, if you would both return to your cells…"

"What!? I thought you said the winner would be allowed to go free!"

"Oh, that was just a way to get you two to fight! Of course I can't let you go, you're such valuable subjects. Guards, bring the prisoners back to their cells."

The doors burst open and out came pouring a massive amount of soldiers and guards, each holding an assault rifle in hand with the nuzzle cocked at the two hybrids.

-Risk-

'Imperius' was strong, but I doubted he was strong enough to take on all of those soldiers by himself, and even though he had fought with me and left me with scarring injuries, he was fighting for freedom, one thing I can definitely empathize. Since now the battle was over, there was only one suggestion to make.

"Hey, Imperius. Wanna call a truce and blow these assholes' brains to the ground?"

"Why not? I could go for some pandemonium."

He offered me his hand, and I gladly took it. Soon, both of us were standing back to back, 'Imperius' brandishing his sword while I… well, my leaf blades were sliced off in the fight, but I hoped they would regenerate eventually, for the mean time I was gonna have to stick to non-melee skills. They surrounded in a circle formation, leaving gaps in their ranks only for the towering boulders, leaving almost no room for escape.

But like always, the key word here was 'almost'. Between the two of us, I'm pretty sure we could get rid of these guys easily, especially with the godforsaken silver sword that Imperius now held.

I struck first, using Instant Flash to dash just in front of the nearest group of soldiers, eliminating all at once with Razor Pierce, as the giant razor-sharp leaf blade sliced all of them in half, I swung it around, eliminating thrice as much. Imperius took the signal as the green light to attack, and the next time I turned around, his silver sword looked far cooler.

He shouted like a battle cry, "Silver Fenrir, Awaken!"

His silver sword glowed a bright silver light, and the next time I opened my eyes I saw the most majestic silver-mane wolf standing beside him. A summon creature brought forth by the blade, a treasured ally in our escape. Imperius brandished the blade again, and this time the wolf dissolved into a spiritual mist, appearing in a bipedal spirit form around and above Imperius, during which he shouted 'Lunar Eye!', each blast vaporizing one unlucky soul. The beams seemed to hit at random, but they were really accurate, I have to admit, albeit embarrassingly.

In the mean time, I covered the other side of the circle, cycling between Terra Flare and Razor Pierce, since those were the only two attacks I could use at the moment. Each attack seemed to tire me out even more, and especially since I just had my butt kicked by the uber-cool, silver wolf-wielding charmeleon-hybrid.

But luckily I managed to pull through, and eventually the swarms of soldiers stopped asking for punishment, the battlefield now littered with blood, organs and the sick smell of devastation.

"C'mon! This way!" Imperius signaled to me, to follow him, which I gladly did, of course.

He rushed off towards the eastern door from which the soldiers came from and sliced it open with his silver sword. He lead the way down the hallways, as I silently followed without any sound, dormant pain still coming from my sliced off leaf blades. The next wave of soldiers appeared, surrounding us from front and back of the corridor, which we finished off easily with Terra Flare to the back and a concentrated Fire Shot from Imperius.

Once the hallway was clear, and with our hearts pumping with adrenaline, we ran. There wasn't anything else that made any more sense but to run. We rushed through the hallways, taking out enemies as we went. Imperius cleared the hallways with Fire Shot, while I covered our tails with Terra Flare. We were in perfect sync, a two-man fighting team that worked perfectly together to escape from the godforsaken hellhole of experimentation.

After what seemed like forever, we reached the front doors, and with our shoulders we burst out, slamming the doors back in. Imperius used a little fire to melt the doors in place, minimally delaying the progress of the soldiers chasing us.

"Nice work back there, Lapsus. I suppose this is where we part. Don't get caught and maybe we'll see each other again." With those last words, he ran off, leaving me alone.

I followed his lead, but ran in the opposite direction into the dark of the woods, but I didn't even get close. As soon as I reached the perimeter of the lab, a hybrid burst out of the sky and crashed down in front of me, the shockwave forcing me back. I managed to stay on my feet, but I got the feeling the battle wasn't over for me yet.

The dust cleared, and standing there in the miniature crater was a hybrid. He had this creepy smile across his face, and I could hear maniacal giggling from him, albeit soft enough that normal human ear wouldn't be able to notice. He was a servine-hybrid, and he was around my height. He had medium-length black hair, a light skin tone, an athletic build and red eyes with slit-like irises, almost like a snake. He would've looked like me, except for the black hair and snakey eyes and the forked tongue that hissed every once in a while.

He was wearing a green-colored armor that was most probably used for stealth, since it was made of cloth, was thin, and blended it almost perfectly with the surroundings. On his right shoulder was an insignia that I had seen multiple times in that lab, plastered on the wall, so I guess it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume he was working for them. And he had a wicked customized assault rifle slung over his back in a leather strap, its design far different from any of the normal ones.

"So, you're Lapsus, Fallen Light. I really don't know what the big deal about you is, but orders are orders. So, will you come quietly, or will I have to use force?"

"What do you think?" I got into a battle stance, growling softly, probably a new hybrid-based instinct.

He let out a maniacal laugh, one that I was getting crept out by, and remarked, "How do you expect to fight me? Your leaf blades have been sliced in half! Why don't you just give up?"

To show I wasn't completely helpless, I fired a Terra Flare at him, though he just side-stepped a long way and it missed him completely.

"So, you can fight, to some extent. But let's see how long that will last in your weakened state." His forked tongue hissed at me just before he charged.

His tail glowed green as he spun around, probably a Leaf Blade attack, which I dodged with Instant Flash, countering with Razor Pierce. He dodged it without any difficulty, and literally whacked me with the butt of his rifle. The impact sent me sprawling back, and gave me a sudden, albeit terrible revelation. I wasn't going to beat this guy. Maybe after five years of training I would, but not in my current state. Sliced off leaf blades don't exactly make the best battle tools.

"Ready to give up? I'll stop attacking if you do."

"Never! I won't let you beat me, no way in hell!" Screaming louder than I ever had, I charged with a Razor Pierce in hand, but I was met with a smirk from the servine.

He dashed right, and he instantly disappeared. I stopped in my tracks, spinning around in circles trying to find out where he was. I assumed he was camouflaged into the surroundings, but knowing that didn't exactly help my situation. A sudden Leaf Blade from behind me sent me flying towards the grass, and once I was practically kneeling on my knees he un-clipped his rifle, shouted 'Vastitas!', and went trigger-happy on the area around me, each bullet exploding upon contact. Despite all this chaos, the craziest thing went through my mind when the last bullet struck.

_I count 120 explosive bullets._

Crazy, right? Here I am, nearly dying by the hands of some psychopath servine-hybrid who just happens to favor explosive-bullet rifles and has a leaf blade, something I don't have, and instead of coming up with plans or good ideas my mind does mathematics. Anyway, back to what was currently happening.

He approached me with his rifle pointed at me, soon in point-blank range. I was frozen in fear, helpless with nothing to do. He was supposed to re-capture me, so I knew that he wasn't going to kill me, at least. But it didn't stop him from doing what came next. He raised his rifle like a club, and swung it downwards to knock me unconscious. That isn't the crazy thing, what happened next was.

My reflexes instantly caused my body to react to the ensuing blow. As the rifle butt soared over me, I slid underneath the servine and did a little uppercut punch to his face, causing him to reel back in surprise and shock. My body didn't stop there. It kept up the momentum, right cross, left cross, right uppercut, why the heck am I sounding like a robot boxing commander? I didn't need leaf blades to attack, I used my bare fists.

In desperation, the servine tried another Vastitas, but this time it didn't work. As the raining bullets came down over me, each were dissolved into nothing but smoking air by the black aura that now surrounded me. In the plastic areas of the servine's armor, where I could see my reflection, I could've sworn my eyes changed from blood-red to dark as night… The last thing I remember was feeling a straining feeling all over my body.

The next time my eyes opened, I was frozen in fear, not of the servine, but of myself. What now surrounded me in the place of the forest and trees was nothing but a smoking field of desolation. The building behind me had been reduced to rubble, the structure crumbling down, and the forest was replaced by a black field with smoke rising into the air. The entire area had been destroyed, a whole place, just boom! Up in smoke, nothing left.

I was in shock, total shock. Nothing was left but me and the polluted air that caused me to cough more than once in the midst of my tears. In complete fear, I ran past the destroyed plains and into the remainder of the forest. I ran, and never stopped running, for I knew that all of that destruction, all that loss of life was my doing. And that was the first time 'Fallen Light' was unleashed. It wouldn't be the last.

Well, I hope this prologue is better than the one from The Existence Artifacts. This is by far my most sped-up prologue ever, introducing another author's OC right off the bat. No rewards for guessing who, though. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please review, since that's my only way of knowing if anyone read it at all. Reviews always put a smile on my face. Well, see you guys next time.


	2. Chapter 1: Vernier Forest

Alright! I'm so happy to see how Fallen Light has taken off! I've already gotten quite the number of OCs, and I think I'll be fine for the next couple of chapters. Now, sit back, relax, and watch as I reveal the fate of Risk, six months from 'Fallen Light'.

* * *

><p>Fallen Light<p>

Chapter 1: Vernier Forest and the Flygon of Ice

-Risk-

The chirping of the birds, the golden rays of the rising sun, the smell of fresh grass and flowers greeting me every morning always gives me some sort of comfort. This was the place I always came back to visit. Though I had to live my life on the run, and for some reason Betrayal Force was particularly adamant about re-capturing me, this place was always the one area where I could feel calm, the one place where I could be happy without worry.

Vernier Forest, though in the old days it was dubbed the Forest of Hope. The legends say that people and pokemon alike came here during ancient times to pray for hope; the light of hope that came with every dawn marked the beginning of a new day. It was a sacred place, and no weapons were allowed within the vicinity of Vernier Forest. The trees and grass were evergreen, it never wilted and it never dried out, and the sun always shone onto the ground, piercing the shady cover of the rustling leaves.

Ever since that incident six months ago, I had been trying to learn what had happened, but I hadn't had much luck. I did a whole lot of research on what happened, but I didn't come up with anything. I tried lots of alternatives, such as disguising myself and heading to town libraries across the continent, and even breaking into top-security labs just to look for information, but unfortunately hadn't found anything. I was hoping to find something soon, but with my luck and track record I wasn't having much hope.

It's kinda ironic to be standing in the middle of the Forest of Hope and not having any hope for the future. Vernier Forest had a glowing aura of hope surrounding it, anyone who entered would have their spirits lifted, it was like a paradise, this forest. There was no violence here, and peace was eternal. At least, until Betrayal Force found out I was staying here. They attacked multiple times, but for some reason there was a gap between each attack. It took me a month before I figured out one of the legends were true.

From the place I was staying, which was just an underground cavern with a spring just in the cave beside it; by the way, I had an entire place reserved just for research materials. It was just the usual books, papers, and even the occasional experimental file from the labs that dotted the landscape of Pylius. Most of the files I didn't even care to look at them, hadn't found a need to look at them yet, so they just sit there in a pile gathering dust. I had recently taken out a book from that mini-library of mine, and it was the most cliché title ever: **Vernier Forest.**

Flip to page 97 and the reason why I felt safe in Vernier Forest was right there in black and white:

**Vernier Forest is the Forest of Hope, and it was believed in ancient times to be protected by the Angel of Hope, Elpius. Due to this, a radiating aura of hopeful memories surround Vernier Forest, and anyone who enters will instantly feel a weight of their shoulders, with hope for a new day. However, no one in modern times has been able to prove this, since Vernier Forest periodically warps itself to a new location each time. This mechanism was put in place by Elpius to protect Vernier Forest from those who would want to destroy it.**

That paragraph was probably enough for Risk to explain why he was safe. Vernier Forest relocated to another place every time, so no matter how much Betrayal Force hunted him, he would just warp to another location, resetting the chase for him. Of course, Betrayal Force got some close calls on him, and that wasn't such a pleasant experience.

*Flashback*

-Two months ago-

"We finally found you, Fallen Light. Now, come back with us, or we'll resort to violence."

"You guys say the same old thing every time, it's getting old. I'll never go back with you, so why don't you just give up now?"

"Since you won't come peacefully, we'll just have to capture you painfully. Attack, men!"

I watched from on top of my mini-hill as the swarm of soldiers came pouring into the clearing, each equipped with a weapon of some sort, and there were all types of weapons in the mix. Swords, spears, guns, and I even spotted hand cannons on hybrids… I think. Every time they invaded the forest, I would immediately erupt in a sense of protection, as for why I'm still trying to find out. I would always protect the place like my home, even though it technically wasn't.

I jumped off my perch, and with my back against the end of the clearing, I faced down the soldiers that now surrounded me, cutting off all directions of escape. Not that I needed it, though, these guys were easy enough to defeat.

"Let's finish this quick; I've got a book to finish. Edge Boomerang!"

A green aura surrounded my leaf blades, and I swung them furiously, causing the energy to pluck themselves off my body and fly sideways, circling back to slash some soldiers in half, while some had their limbs torn off. The boomerangs came around another two times, and just like that a quarter of the squad was put out of commission.

I used Instant Flash, increasing my speed exponentially, and dashed right behind a group of soldiers, though by the looks on their faces and the fact they had no time to react I suppose I could've been dashing too fast (is there such a thing?). I sliced them in perfect halves with Leaf Blade, and flung another two Edge Boomerangs at the nearby group. While the boomerangs were doing their job, I side-stepped a downward strike from a human soldier, and pierced through the entire group with Razor Pierce.

The boomerangs ended their assault, and I jumped back up with a somersault back onto my hill, preparing my final attack to finish off the remnants of the squad of soldiers. They charged, in spite of the chaos I had just wrought and the grass now stained red with the splashed of blood splattering on the ground. I waited until they were just upon me, and that's when I ended it. I thrust my hands forward, and the blast of green energy was unleashed from my palms.

"Terra Flare!" I shouted, invoking the attack's name.

A gigantic explosion engulfed the area, and the loud boom sound came, sending the soldiers and their friggin' dumb squad leader flying off like shooting stars into the blue sky. (A/N: No "we're blasting off again!"? Too bad.) The explosion soon sizzled out, and the forest stayed unaffected. That was another perk I had discovered with my frequent battle with Betrayal Force in my 'hometown'. The leaves and trees here never got destroyed with my nature attacks, and instead my attacks just seemed to enhance and heal the damage they got from the soldiers. At least I can fight all-out without regards to the environment.

*End Flashback*

So far, since that incident, Vernier Forest has been quiet. No attacks in recent weeks, and the forest was still glowing its green hopeful glow like always. I would occasionally let loose a Terra Force or two, not as an attack but I guess you could say it as a fertilizer, since my attacks were beneficial to the forest's plant life.

Now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to 'Imperius'? The last time I had seen him was six months ago, before I had discovered Vernier Forest and made a living here. And that psycho servine-hybrid, I assumed he had been vaporized by that mistake-attack I had let loose back at the Survival Lab, but apparently he was still alive and kicking, since I had seen him around some of the villages Vernier Forest had apparently warped near to. My mind went blank from there, and this time my stomach took over my body control. I hadn't got the chance to eat breakfast yet, and since Vernier Forest was near a village, I headed beyond the borders of the forest to grab some food.

* * *

><p>-?-<p>

Hah… hah… My heavy panting was all that my mind could hear as I trudged through the forest trying to shake them off my tail. Betrayal Force had been chasing after me for the past two weeks, even though I had already escaped and finished my mutations around five months ago. They had left me alone for the past three months, but in the recent weeks their activity had suddenly became more and more active, to the point where I couldn't even get six hours of sleep without hearing a nearby explosion, which of course prompted me to get the hell out of there.

*Flashback*

-One month ago-

As of now, I was in an unknown forest that seemed to be a warp in space and time. I had entered the forest near the northern end of Pylius, where the glacial climates are and very few labs are stationed, but when I saw this green forest I had found it strange. After all, if the weather was a blizzard climate, and the trees in a forest were still evergreen and it still seemed to be warm and sunny inside, who wouldn't find it weird.

Freezing to death at the time, I rushed for the forest, and instantly felt the warmth penetrate the cold shell of my skin, and I instantly felt that much more hopeful that I would be able to escape. The trees had a healthy green glow, and the wind that entered the forest instantly became a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves in the trees. It had been a while since I saw such a serene place, so naturally I wanted to explore a little bit.

My sense of time is generally horrible, so I estimated an approximate two hours since I entered the borders of the forest, and I supposed as nice the place was I couldn't stay here forever since Betrayal Force would still be on my tail. Now here comes the strange part: As I walked towards the edge of the forest, a shocking sight befell my eyes. Instead of the blizzard raging outside and the entire ground covered with a white blanket of snow, it was instead a green field dotted with flowers that I had never seen before.

Just a few steps beyond that field was a cliff that overlooked an entire town, bustling full of people and aimless chattering filled the air even though I was so high up. Excited, I rushed down the cliff to have a look, and the smell of food entered my nose. It kinda feels embarrassing to say this, but my stomach was so grumbling that I ended up stealing the food from the villagers. Thankfully I was never caught, but I did feel bad about stealing that food. I didn't have any money, after all.

But when I returned to the site of the forest, the entire woods had been replaced by a field of flowers, blades of grass stood still as the wind came to a stop. My jaws literally dropped to the ground. How could an entire forest just whoosh away like that, it was as if it had teleported itself to an entirely new area. I was puzzled at first, but then after some thinking I came to the conclusion that it had the ability to warp itself periodically, it did explain how I got from the glacial climate to here after all.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to think about any of that at the moment. Betrayal Force had found me again, but I was still far too tired to fight them off despite getting the energy from the food. I had little choice but to flee, and think about the warping forest another time.

*End Flashback*

And now, one month later, I had found this forest once more. This time it seemed to stay longer than I expected, since the periodic warping seemed to happen every six hours. The forest had been here for eight hours already and it showed no signs of warping yet. I walked towards the nearby waterfall, hoping to wash off the dirt and grime I had accumulated over the past month. I threw my clothes to the side of the pond, where they floated on the surface, soaking in the water. I walked under the waterfall where the gushing water helped to make me look not so much like a beggar.

I looked down at my reflection, then down at myself, and I remembered the mutations as I had first seen them back in that lab. My skin had been replaced with white scales, and there was a streak of blue scales across my body, and growing out from my back was a pair of diamond-shaped wings, just like a flygon. I was a flygon-hybrid, after all. My nails had been replaced by claws, and growing out from where my tailbone should be was an actual tail, a tail with a fan-shaped tip. On my head was the most embarrassing mutation of all: antennae. It made me look like an insect.

I bathed in that spring for a while, the serene breeze blowing by every once in a while. The peace and quiet here was coupled by the sound of rustling trees, just the way I remembered it. The water worked wonders, in practically ten minutes the dirt and grime was nothing but faint memories on my body, and my clothes seemed to be clean of impurities as well. I got out of the water, and quickly clothed myself in fear that someone might be living in this forest.

As I stood up at the side of the spring, I got a quick glance at my reflection in the waterfall, which had a quick overview of my clothes. It was a new outfit I had adopted recently, a blue jacket, a pair of baggy shorts and for some reason I didn't find the need to wear shoes. A pair of red tinted goggles was strapped to my forehead, and I could faintly make out the cracked-star mark on the back of my left hand.

Now that I was clean and felt refreshed, I had all the energy I needed to start exploring this place. The forest was nothing interesting to see, it had the typical landscape of a forest. It was dotted with trees that had the constant rustling along with the gentle breeze, which seemed to be and all-time special in this mystical place. There were occasional mini-hills that overlooked small clearings like a battlefield, but I thought nothing of it.

There was the occasional spring with the overlooking waterfall, which obviously meant that the forest had a total other elevated level in the forest. I most certainly couldn't climb waterfalls, and I could've flown up but I wanted to use that as a last-resort move. I looked around the forest a way for me to get up there, and eventually I found a loose vine that I supposed could be used as a ladder up if only it was just a little more stable.

I took a few steps back, and stood with my legs apart facing the vine ladder. I thrust my hands forward and closed my eyes, concentrating my energy into the tips of my fingers. I felt my hands get a sudden burst of cold temperature, and that's when I opened my eyes, and the sight that met my eyes was as familiar as last time. Three orbs of ice energy circling my palms on each hand, joined together in a triangular frame.

"Freeze Frame!"

From the triangles of ice and beam of ice shot out from both, one blast hitting the top of the ladder while the other hitting the bottom, and from the blasts of ice energy the vines were slowly secured to the ground as the ice spread across the vines. The vines suddenly looked far more secure and safe to climb, and I had absolutely no worries about climbing them to the next level.

With my claws I securely dug them into the vines, and climbed them up to the next level of the forest. The second level wasn't much different, though. It was just another array of trees and plants, and that was all I saw on first sight. As I went in deeper, though, I learnt a very important lesson: never judge a book by its cover.

Within the surrounding outer layer of trees was a meadow filled with rare plants, some medicinal, some could be used as weapons, and some could be used in concocting some very effective potions. I grabbed some and stuffed them inside my pockets, which I supposed really wasn't the safest place for them to be, and I mentally reminded myself to get a sling bag or something to carry stuff in when I got out of this place.

I explored the upper forest some more, and found a whole lot more things that made this forest all that much more interesting. I found a mowed field with jagged rocks coming from the ground, as if it was prepared as a battlefield of some sort. A lot more man-made yet natural facilities could be found among the trees, such as a place with four spiny columns of rock curving towards the centre, almost like a meditation spot.

Then appeared the weirdest thing I could find: the entrance to a cave. It wasn't like any ordinary cave entrance, but more like a downward staircase into a stone labyrinth of some sort. The set of stone stairs seemed to go on forever, and despite the infinite darkness spiraling down I could make out a faint light like a torch at the very bottom. This piqued my interest, so I slowly and carefully made my way down the set of stairs. It was nothing interesting, just a downward corridor that led to some place with at least minimal light.

Eventually, after the long and tiring wait, the endless staircase finally vanished, and I burst out into a fully-lighted place. It was almost like a house, except built into the insides of a cave. There was a table and makeshift bookshelf that was carved into the side of the walls, there were many other tunnels that probably connected to the other rooms in this 'labyrinth', and the entire room had a cooling feeling to it, which I guess the spring at the end of the room contributed to.

I had already taken a bath, and I really didn't need another, so I instead went straight for the bookshelf, looking for information about anyone living here. There were a lot of book titles that blended together, like 'History of Pylius' and 'Techniques of Battle', most of which didn't seem the least bit interesting. The bottom shelves were a lot more worth to look at, since it was entirely comprised of experimental files stolen from the labs of Betrayal Force. Whoever collected these must love raiding labs. There were so many files, I even found out about me!

I'm not gonna say anything that was listed in that file, but I can only tell you that most of it was highly accurate. Whoever lived here had a practical information network about nearly every single hybrid ever created! He could look up the weakness and strengths of any adversary simply by flipping a page! He certainly had a rich intelligence fountain, that's for sure.

I was just about to begin exploring the other rooms when a single voice shocked me, and what he said was, "What, may I ask, are you doing here?"

* * *

><p>-Peleus-<p>

A lot has happened in the span of six months, and I really have no idea where to start. As of now, I'm on a mission to retrieve one of the five keys of Essidia, the Archangel of Light. Normally, our organization doesn't believe in ancient legends and relics like these keys, but if we got hold of those keys we could prevent Betrayal Force from making use of them for evil. I first heard of these keys from Xaleil, my second-in-command and one of my best friends.

*Flashback*

-Four days ago-

"Peleus! Open up! I've got something to show you!" The voice of Xeleil pierced through the metal doors as he pounded on the doors so hard he almost ripped the door of its hinges.

It was straight in the middle of the night, and I was already fast asleep. Though, I doubt anyone could've slept through the constant pounding on the metal doors and the loud voice reverberating throughout the room. The shock was so great I literally fell off the bed with a loud thump, my back erupting in intense pain while my body was followed suit by my bed sheets. Groaning and moaning from the rude awakening, I irrationally clicked open my bedroom doors and my lethargic eyes were met with the sight of Xaleil's grinning face.

Xaleil was my second-in-command, and like I said he was my best friend, so when he went missing seven months before I frantically set out to find him, only to be caught by Betrayal Force and experimented on. Only when I got back to base did I find out that Xaleil had been captured by them as well and had been turned into a hybrid, but he wasn't that unhappy about it.

Xaleil was a Plusle-hybrid, and his personality really did fit that of an actual Plusle. As for his appearance, he had combed-down grey hair with a cream-colored streak across the left side, his ears were replaced with those of a plusle, and his irises were golden-yellow. Instead of on his cheeks, the pluses were on the backs of his hands, which he could use to generate high amounts of voltage in a really short amount of time.

He has a toned and slightly muscular body, and his skin has been tinged with a cream color instead of the humane pale white. He was around 165cm tall, so that made him at least 20cm shorter than me, and he constantly had to look up when he was talking to me. On his right bicep featured the PPA's insignia, an eagle with its wings spread out and in the middle it was carrying a sphere of energy. Xaleil was wearing the same outfit as always: a yellow thunderbolt-design T-shirt and a pair of light-grey jeans, finishing the outfit with a pair of yellow-lined running shoes.

For a fourteen-year-old, he was much more mature than most, but he still had a child-like side to him at times. For example, he loved to annoy others on purpose just out of playfulness, and he got lost at times just like any other kid, needing someone else's guidance. For those reasons, he usually comes to me, since I was three years older than him. He had a knack for waking me in the middle of the night just to show me something he had found or discovered, and this was just one of those times.

Groggily, I asked, "Xaleil, it's two a.m. in the morning… Can this wait until morning?"

"Oh, come on, Peleus! I have something to show you! And it's really important, it can't wait!"

"Oh, alright then, come in…"

He happily skipped into my room, as if he was hyperactive without a hint of sleepiness in his eyes, the way he often looked. He plopped himself on to my bed, and I closed the door gently, joining him on the bed at his side, peering over his shoulders to see what he had brought to show me. He opened the book he had brought in, and I grabbed the controller I had left on my nightstand, pushed the top-left button and the lights flickered on almost immediately, allowing me to see the fine print on the book in spite of my tired eyes.

It was written in English, which was a good thing, but it didn't quite seem to fit the context of the book. The book's pages were covered in dirt and grime, as if the book was created millions of years ago, an ancient tome. There were symbols and crests on several pages, most of which didn't even make sense to me and just blended in with the rest of the words. Xaleil flipped the pages so quickly most of the words just flashed through my mind and vanished just as quickly. It was only when Xaleil stopped at a particular page did I begin reading.

**Page 194**

**The Keys of Light**

**The Keys of Light are ancient relics that are rumored to contain the power to unlock the gates to the Core Sanctum (See page 76), and potentially grant a person access to the Pylius Crystal. There are in total five Keys of Light, each key representing a certain element of Pylius. The red key, which represents dawn, the blue key, which represents knowledge, the green key which represents all of nature, the yellow key, which represents life, and finally the white key, which represents light and hope. With these five keys combined produces the Omega Key, which grants access to the Core Sanctum. **

As my eyes finished reading the last word, I turned to Xaleil and said, "What is this supposed to mean?"

"Oh, Peleus, you're so thick. Do I have to spell it out for you? The Core Sanctum is what Betrayal Force is after! If we get the five Keys of Light before them then we'll be able to prevent them from accessing the Core Sanctum!"

"And why would we gather them? Gathering them in one place would just make it easier for them to steal it from us, doesn't it?"

"Honestly! If we gather all the five keys, WE'LL have access to the Core Sanctum and then WE can use the Pylius Crystal's power to defeat Betrayal Force! It's a practical trump card against them!"

"Alright, so were you able to locate the keys? We can't retrieve them if we don't know where they are."

"Way ahead of you, Peleus. I managed to locate the blue key, the one that represents knowledge."

"Okay, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. I'll organize a search party and I'll personally lead it. You're welcome to join if you want, but for now, please let me get another six hours of sleep at least."

"Oh… right." He said as he blushed in embarrassment, suddenly realizing what he had just done, he replied as he slowly exited my room, "I'll leave you to your dreams then. Good night, Peleus."

As I lay my head down to rest, I heard the sounds of the door click as Xaleil left my room, and the last words out of my mouth were, "Good night, Xaleil."

*Flashback end*

And so, because of that night, I was now on a mission to retrieve the blue key of knowledge, and it just so happens that right now it was the middle of the night. Our search party had been on this expedition for four days now, and it comprised of me, Xaleil and four others. Currently we were camping out in Twilight Forest, a place where moonlight could be harnessed for mystical properties, and we should be at our destination in two days time.

I heard Xaleil stirring, just in time to take the next watch shift. I walked over to him, and he gave me a silent nod as I bent down. He got up as quick as possible and tried not to look too tired as he sat at the edge of our campsite, watching out for danger as the rest of us took a snooze.

_I suppose I should get some sleep too, I'll need my energy for tomorrow._

I lay my head on the soft grass like a pillow, and my mind drifted into unconsciousness as my eyes stared into blank darkness…

* * *

><p>-Risk-<p>

"So, flygon, who are you?"

I had caught him red-handed rummaging through my things, and of all the things he had to look through it was the notes I had obtained over the six months I had been a hybrid. Files upon files of experimentation notes coupled with a not-too-shabby collection of mythical tales and old legends inside my stone-bookshelf. How I managed to craft it is for me to know and for you readers to never find out.

Upon hearing my question, he handed me the file that he was currently holding in his hand, and I flipped it open to take a read. The first thing I noticed was a picture of a face very like his, plastered onto the top-right corner of the first page. Then my eyes shifted to the words that were written in cursive handwriting instead of the bolded computerized words. Whoever wrote this must've been quite the old-fashioned scientist, because he evidently used pencils instead of keyboards.

On the file, this is what it said:

**Name: Xavier Stevens**

**Codename: Cold Magician**

**Species: Flygon-Hybrid/Icicle Crystal**

**Scientist's Notes:  
>17<strong>**th**** December, Year 2179.**

**The Flygon-Hybrid is developing well, in terms of his mutations. He so far has developed a mutation in skin change, from normal pale human skin to white scales. After looking up the natural biology of a Flygon, I have realized that this scale colouration is not that of a normal Flygon, but yet I am not surprised by this change in biology. Along with the Flygon DNA we had added to the serum, a shard of the recently obtained Icicle Crystal was added as well, and we dubbed the serum 'Icestrike'. This gives the hybrid a ice-based colouration, white scales where there should be green and blue scales where there should be dark green. We believe his powers will be slightly ice-based, but it is unknown as of late, since we are still awaiting his awakening. **

There wasn't another entry, so I just had to assume that something had happened to the scientist after he had written that first entry, and never got the chance to write another one. What really shocked me was the date: 23rd July 2178. That was at least one year ago, the current date as of now would be 14th April 2179. He was a hybrid far before I had been mutated! After what seemed like a long time, I finally lifted my eyes off the file, and Xavier was standing right there, probably waiting for me to finish reading.

"So, Xavier, mind telling me why you're here and what you're doing?"

"Before I answer that, would you mind telling me who you are, and where I am?"

"You're the one who's trespassing onto my home, and you ask me questions?"

"Alright, fair enough. I came here to find out more about this place. I had stumbled upon it about a month ago, and I had entered from the northern ends of Pylius, where the snowy regions are. But when I stepped out the next day, I realized that I was at the edge of a village with green grass hills and fields. So, I'm back here to find out more about its mysteries."

"That's all, huh? Well, I can answer that for you." I paused, giving Xavier the opportunity to raise his eyebrows in question, and then I continued, "This place is known as Vernier Forest, or in the olden days it was dubbed as 'The Forest of Hope'. As for why you found yourself somewhere different, Vernier Forest has an enchantment placed upon it by Elpius, the Angel of Hope. This enchantment was put in place to protect Vernier Forest, which was supposed to be the center of hope in the world. It allows Vernier Forest to warp to another location periodically, which was why you found yourself from the northern regions to somewhere in the middle."

He nodded his head slowly, and then the words came out of his mouth, "Oh, so that's the reason. Well, I suppose that would be enough to answer most of my questions. But you forgot to answer the first one, who are you exactly?"

"My name is Risk Altair, I was part of Project: Fallen Light, and I'm on the run from Betrayal Force. Luckily, I've never had to leave Vernier Forest often, since it practically does the running for me, and for that I truly am grateful."

"I see… Could I ask-"

His words were cut short by a sudden earthquake, followed by the sounds of booming fire explosions, and the cracking and thumping of trees being brought down by a massive force. Without any second thoughts, I dashed back the way I came, passing by the pile of supplies I had left in the cave corridor, and just behind me Xavier followed suit as we burst out from the darkness of the caves and into the golden sunlight.

The sight that greeted me was anything but peaceful. The trees were toppled, and some in the distance were still falling. Fires raged among the grass and bushes, burning everything to a crisp and turning all the plant life into nothing but a smoking pile of blackened ashes. I did nothing but stare in pure shock as Vernier Forest was being reduced to a black bare land. Scenes of the Survival Lab I had reduced to rubble flashed before my eyes, before those scenes turned to that of Vernier Forest in rubble.

Then my shock turned to that of pure rage, a sense of protection overwhelming my soul, and from standing stiff with shock, my leaf blades immediately unsheathed, and I rushed towards the crowd of enemies to fight for my homeland. I started off my assault with Edge Boomerang; knocking over the first row of soldiers I assumed worked for Betrayal Force, the only possible people who would want to harm this tranquility and me.

I spun around from my initial attack, only to side step an incoming downward slash from a bayonet attached to a rifle, sending the guy flying with Leaf Blade. I ducked an overhead swipe, and swung him to the nearest embers with Leaf Blade. He wasn't alone, though. Two more swings of Leaf Blade and he was soon joined by even more of his comrades, their bodies serving as effective fuel for the fire to rise even higher.

I took down the soldiers easily; they were grunts, after all. I constantly cycled between Leaf Blade and Razor Pierce, which were supposed to be the 'chainable' attacks. Occasionally, I'd let loose a Terra Flare and send a large group of enemies flying out of the forest, and the nature energy in that attack would rejuvenate the trees around it for a moment, before they'd get engulfed by the flames again and then I was back to square one.

I used Instant Flash, and literally let my mind and body go on autopilot. Leaf Blade one guy, dodge a downward strike, Razor Pierce him and his comrades nearby, sidestep another, and use Terra Flare, recoiling backwards. That was how the battle was like for the next… ten minutes or so. Though it was really tiring to have taken on all those soldiers by myself, after quite the long while, I had finally expelled them all out of my homeland.

Now came the problem I had been ignoring up until now: how was I going to save the trees? I could use the healing springs that dotted the landscape of Vernier Forest to douse the flames, but I doubt I could carry the water back and forth fast enough to be able to extinguish them all without giving the flames any chance to rise even higher. I was stuck, and I had no solution, no answer to solve this problem. And like the reckless person I am, I just did the best thing I could.

"Terra Flare!"

With that, I thrust my hands forward, and out came a string of Terra Flare released continuously, each one rejuvenating the trees for a moment before they were simply engulfed again. Each attack sapped my strength, but I couldn't just do nothing and watch my home get brought down in flames. But my efforts were all for naught, for each attack did nothing but delay the inevitable, the fate that awaited Vernier Forest.

Then a voice came from behind that made me halt my attack, "Stop! You're not doing any good and you'll just run out of strength before you can really do anything!"

I turned around, only to see Xavier braving the fiery embers to come and 'help' me, but I really had no idea how he could.

"What do you expect me to do? Leave the forest burning like this? This is my home! I can't just leave it to suffer!"

Then the most unexpected thing happened as I turned around to continue my Terra Flare assault, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Stand back, leave this to me."

He stepped forward and I witnessed his silhouette pass by me, and now he was in front of me, standing in a stance that was unfamiliar to me, facing the flames as he thrusts his hands forward, blue sparks now dancing on the tip of his fingers accompanied by a low hum. For a good five seconds, nothing happened, while that continuous low hum sounded throughout the forest. Then the sparks exploded into brilliant blue light, engulfing his hands in them.

The spheres of energy around his palms split into three individual smaller spheres, circling his palms slowly, each keeping a distance with the other two. Then from the three spheres, beams of energy shot out, joining them all together, a blue triangle now hovering in front of his palms. He shouted, "Freeze Frame!" and from those blue triangles brilliant beams shot out, turning into vapor upon coming into contact with the flames.

It was then I realized, that Xavier was fused with an extra element along with the Flygon serum, one that gave him control over the element of ice. He started walking around, pointing his ice beams in different directions and dousing the flames with ease, and soon he covered the entire landscape of Vernier Forest, and the flames that once were became nothing but painful memories in the history of this place.

Now we stood on Vernier Forest: Central Level, on the elevated platform that I assumed Xavier and entered my cave from. Within the trees and plant life that dwelled there, there was a concentration circle that was constructed, though by whom I had no clue, but I must admit, it was very good at doing its job. The layout and array of the circle was built to focus the energies of anyone that stood here, perfect for difficult-to-cast attacks.

I stood in the center, taking a stance that I hadn't used in quite the while, and focused. A green light circled me back and forth, a low hum the evidence that my focus was at maximum level. I gathered the surrounding nature energy, quite difficult since the whole place was currently burnt to the ground, but eventually I had obtained enough, and I moved my left hand diagonally up, and my right hand vice versa.

"Forces of Nature!"

Then I thrust my hands both outwards, and a burst of green energy leaves scattered the landscape of Vernier Forest, a wide array of nature energy being unleashed. Slowly, I spun my head from left to right, witnessing the slow rejuvenation of the forest around me as a green glow illuminated the forest, and the trees, bushes, and even down to the tiniest blade of grass returned to the forest, the slow breeze of cooling wind soothing the air like a melody.

I breathed in the fresh air, and it instantly calmed me down, the best effect of the winds of hope. The glow faded, but the forest was back, the flames were nothing but faint red and all evidence of the destruction that happened here was erased from the face of the earth.

Then after the whole fiasco, Xavier finally spoke, "I guess since all that is over, I've overstayed my welcome."

He began to walk off, albeit with a sad-ish face, but then the most unexpected words came out of my mouth, "You know, if you want to stay, you can."

He turned around with a questioning look, and the words that came out of his mouth were surprising, "Really? I've never really belonged anywhere. All I ever wanted was friends, but no one ever wanted to be friends with me."

"Belong here, where hope marks each new day. And if you really want friends, I'd be glad to be your friend."

I offered my hand, and he took it with a smile on his face, and that was how our friendship began.

* * *

><p>ExDraco: I kinda see a pattern here… A certain Flygon keeps saving my main characters. Far too much déjà vu.<br>Xavier: When you figure that out, you can tell us in the next chapter.  
>Risk: For now, let's just end this, we're not doing much but extending the word count.<br>Peleus: Wait! I need to say something.  
>Risk: What's that?<br>Peleus: As for why ExDraco is not revealing any of the OC Forms this time, is so that he gets the capability to change it whenever he wants, as long as the aspects haven't be released to the general public.  
>ExDraco: Shut it, Peleus! That was supposed to be a secret! *starts chasing Peleus around*<br>Xavier: Honestly, it's only the second chapter… Ah well, let's end this.  
>Risk: R&amp;R, and we'll see you next time!<p> 


	3. Chapter 2: Energy Manipulation

ExDraco: And now we're here at chapter 2!  
>Risk: So, what's gonna be in store for this round?<br>ExDraco: You'll find out. Though to summarise…  
>Xavier: He plans to feature another fight between you and Adrien.<br>ExDraco: How did you find out?!  
>Xavier: Using my powers I can see right through your thoughts!<br>Peleus: Honestly… I suppose I'm gonna be the one to talk about sensible stuff.  
>Risk: Uh huh? Like what? *completely ignores the author and Xavier's argument*<br>Peleus: Simple. ExDraco is featuring a new location system for his fanfics.  
>Risk: Location system?<br>Peleus: You'll find out.

* * *

><p>Fallen Light<p>

Chapter 2: Energy Manipulation

-Adrien-

**Location: Twilight Forest  
>Date: 15<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 5:56 AM<br>Historia: Present**

"Tch… where is that asshole…"

I was currently looking for that asshole hybrid that the leader of my squad had ordered me to recapture with, and I quote, 'extreme prejudice, without holding back'. Although, if I actually tried to do that I believe I might end up killing him, and that would greatly disappoint Sir Zero, the leader of Betrayal Force. If you're wondering why his name sounds so strange, that's because its just his codename, I've never bothered to ask for his real name, and also because he told me never to ask.

At the current moment, I was still traversing the thick layout of Twilight Forest, where sources had informed me that I could find Peleus Altair, the supposed brother of Fallen Light, or Risk Altair, if you prefer his real name. I don't really care either way; I just want to get this over with. Twilight Forest was once a sacred place where one could harness the moonlight for medicinal properties, and if one soaked in them too long they could end up 'Moonlit', a state where they lose their mind and go crazy.

Not that I minded going crazy, since I was forced to act crazy around two years ago and Sir Zero described my personality as 'twisted, with a large hint of the longing for blood'. My mind instantly drifted off just for that brief moment, flashes of those long-past scenes being relived inside my mind. I slapped myself to get off those memories, and when my senses finally returned I found myself giggling maniacally, albeit at a very soft volume so only I could hear it. Then I felt the depressants injecting into my left thigh, and I felt those memories fade into black.

With a new six-hour lease of sanity, I put my focus back onto finding the group of those people and hybrids that made up the scouting group of the PPA, their leader being my sole target. Twilight Forest was relatively thick, and it was near impossible to spot anyone in this darkness of night, but it was a good thing that I had brought a pair of night vision goggles, loaned to me by the weapons and technology department, courtesy of Sir Zero.

It forced my vision to go a whole lot greener, but at least I could pinpoint any signs of human or hybrid life in this forest without issues, and since I doubt the PPA had any of this technology I bet I could spot them before they spotted me, giving me the distinct advantage I needed to finish the battle quickly and assassinate them all without much retaliation.

Though, at the current moment I hadn't had much luck, since I couldn't even sense a hint of life in this forest besides the occasional bird and forest creature dance across my night vision screen. Nothing humanoid in shape or size appeared on my monitors, and the results of this mission started to look bleak, without any hope of completing this with any good turnout.

At least, that's how it was until my ears picked up a rustling sound coming directly east of me. My acute senses and reflexes instantly responded and my green-ish vision instantly turned to the left. The scanner line went up and down a few times, the soft electronic hum was the only thing to accompany me while waiting for those few seconds. And then the excitement began, when I noticed green silhouettes appear on my night vision screen, and upon habit I giggled for a moment.

I was careful not to make a single sound, as any rustle of the grass would immediately alert them to my presence. I sneaked up on them, creeping behind the façade of two intertwining trees, and I saw them. From an elevated level of Twilight Forest, down below and in front of me was the entire party of the scum from the PPA, my target leading them. Peleus Altair had finally showed himself.

Not giving them a chance to react to my sudden assault, I sliced one in half with Leaf Blade, and in their confusion killed another with the same move, two down, and four to go. I stepped forward at the stunned soldiers, and my momentary hesitation gave them enough time to get over their shock. Immediately they let loose their arsenals and volleys of bullets and charging foolish humans armed with blades and the like, all with the intent of finishing me off.

I scoffed at their attempts, their completely futile efforts to fight me off. What could mere grunts do to harm me? I used 'Stealth Camo', and dashed off to the side, using their sudden confusion as the sign that I had completely disappeared from their line of sight. The soldiers were confused, but the two leading weren't. Peleus and the kid that was right beside him before I had attacked rushed to the back to view my handiwork while the other two soldiers stood on guard. Taking advantage of their lowered guard, I swiped my tail upwards, the bright green after-slash of Leaf Blade trailing my tail through the poor maimed soul.

I made my mistake right there, letting down my guard. It was one of the most important lessons Sir Zero taught me, and yet I make that mistake from time to time. In that instant, a bullet pierced my left thigh, and it immediately erupted in sheer pain. Wrath filled my eyes when I spun my head, and before my eyes was a shivering soldier armed with his rifle, metaphorical smoke rising from the barrel.

I took one step forward, the first part in a much more potent technique. I dashed forward, combining my agility with my Stealth Camo ability, using it mid-dash to create a disappearing charge attack. With my sudden vanishing act, even the soldier looked around with utmost caution simply to determine my whereabouts. Little did they know that I was really just in front of them. Two quick swipes through the soldier standing in front of me and he resulted in mere corpses, pools of sparkling red staining the ground and unfortunately, my tail in the process.

All of the soldiers were now defeated, and the only one left was their leader, and my target. Actually my mission wasn't to eliminate him, but to capture him. For what reason I have no idea, but since it was a request that came straight from Sir Zero, I could do little but accept and perhaps I was compelled to.

"Who might you be, assassin?" questioned Peleus.

"Please, don't compare me to a mere assassin, I am Sir Zero's personal warrior, Adrien Mercer. You'll find, however, that I do not show even a shred of mercy, unlike my last name."

"Sir Zero… That would be the leader of the Betrayal Force, I gather?"

"Enough talk. You will not get any more information out of me. My orders were to capture you, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do!" I shouted, dashing forward and using that same vanishing technique.

_Strange, where is the kid he was with earlier? Did he escape? No matter, I'll eliminate this fool first._

Peleus unsheathed his sword, and the silver blade glowed brightly in the moonlight, a majestic and sleek sword that strangely matched his style. He took on a defensive stance, one of the many battle stances that Sir Zero had taught me. It was commonly known as the 'Nine-Sphere' stance, an all-out defensive stance that allowed the user to effectively block any incoming attack from any direction. It was also known as the 'Perfect Guard', but only if one could use it very well. Let's test how strong his defense is.

I struck from behind him, and his ear twitched for that small instant before I charged, as if he was hearing my movements. He immediately blocked my attack, and then switched to an attacking stance and his blade struck the side of my rifle. It was a good thing my rifle was made of carbon steel, a compressed metal that could not be destroyed or broken easily. I skidded to a stop in front of him, only to see him charge when my eyesight recovered, sword raised.

I sidestepped to the far right, using Stealth Camo to blend in and vanish once again. He halted his attack mid-dash, and took on a cautious look once more, constantly spinning his head left and right to try to anticipate my attack. While I was invisible, I had a window of time to think of a plan, and since this guy is a sub-leader of the PPA, I really did need one as of now.

"Come out of hiding, you coward! Face me straight on! Let's see who's more powerful!"

I kept silent, knowing that if I spoke even a word or made even a sound my cover would be blown and even more danger would come my way. I struck once more at instantaneous speeds, my Leaf Blade clashing with his silver blade, the force of the clash causing waves of pure force to fly outwards in all directions, the ground responding with pieces and fragments of the earth flying outward.

I jumped off the clash, somersaulting through the air and landing on my feet a fair distance from Peleus. It was at that moment when things began to go serious.

"I have no time for this!" he shouted, his words obviously directed at me as he took a stance with his blade's tip pointing backwards behind his back, the blade began to glow accompanied by a soft hum.

"Silver Fenrir, Awaken!" Pure energy erupted from him, and the earth responded even more fiercely, the silver aura that surrounded him resembled violent flames being blown apart by a ripping typhoon. The surrounding force condensed, a silvery energy taking shape just in front of him. It began to grow legs, a mane, a snout, and it's physical form solidified into a wolf.

_This must be the blade of legend I've been hearing about. 'Argentum, the Silver Fenrir', and its true form, a wolf with a shining silver mane that can move at beyond godlike speeds._

"Lost Limit! Force Stream!" The wolf charged forward at speeds beyond anything imaginable, a trail of golden mist following its silhouette, the only evidence that it even existed in motion, its speeds making it literally impossible to track with the naked eye.

"What the-" I didn't even get to finish my exclamation of shock before I got smashed by a godlike-speed body at full force, the only sounds out of my mouth were a instantaneous 'Oof!'. My stomach convulsed in pain, and my arms instinctively clutched my stomach in pain, trying my best to not lose my concentration.

_I must not lose concentration… I need to focus!_

This time, my mind was clear. A rare occurrence, but it does come to me from time to time. I watched closely, and easily anticipated the attack coming, dodging out of the way and vanishing into the surroundings. The wolf stopped instantly; with no target most probably it was confused and didn't know what to do next. Peleus' only orders were to stay on guard, most probably for my appearance. While they looked left to right and stayed sharp and aware of the potential danger, I sneaked around to behind them, in the cover of some nearby trees.

I climbed to the top, careful not to rustle the leaves of the trees too much, in case I alert them to my presence. At the top of the evergreen trees, I unslung my rifle, arming it with five rounds of my favorite explosive bullets. My cover instantly exposed itself, and I shouted 'Vastitas!', releasing all five rounds, one-hundred and twenty bullets in total in a volley of bullets, even the godlike dashing wolf was too shocked to even think about dodging them.

A chain of explosions erupted on the ground below me, and when the smoke cleared all I saw were the charred remains of Peleus, barely breathing with drips of blood staining the brown soil, his clothes nearly burnt to a crisp. I leaped down, re-slinging my rifle on my back in the process. Landing on my feet, I walked slowly over to his body, and just out of a little evil I kicked his stomach, more evil than to check if he was still alive. Still, I got the intended response of him coughing out a whole lot of blood, his reaction proof enough he still was alive, albeit barely.

I lifted him up, and was immediately thankful that he wasn't too heavy. As I prepared the portal device that Sir Zero had provided for me, I scanned the battlefield once more. There was something missing…

_Where's his sword? Shouldn't it be here?_

My thoughts were broken by the low hums of the portal opening, a weak suction pulling nearby flecks of dust being sucked in.

_Oh, well. I suppose I should get going. I'm already late, and I really don't want to make Sir Zero wait any longer._

I jumped into the portal, the spiraling green the last thing I saw before I warped back to the HQ.

* * *

><p>-Xaleil-<p>

**Location: Outskirts of Gehenna Plains, on the way to Vernier Forest  
>Date: 15<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 6:23 AM<br>Historia: Present**

_Oh, man… I am so screwed. I need to get to 'that' place immediately! Brigadier General Peleus is counting on me!_

Oh, right, I suppose I should explain how I managed to get away from that psycho who captured the commander. Well, it all happened like this.

**Time: 5:46 AM  
>Historia: Past<strong>

Our entire party was taking a nice walk through Twilight Forest, taking the same route as merchants did long ago. After all, Twilight Forest was a place that was more than two thousand years ago, and it was only in the recent years did anyone decide to make this a forest. Just some backstory, Twilight Forest used to be known as Moonlight Plains, back when trees were scarce and only merchants used this place as a pass to other better-known places of the world.

Anyway, at present we were travelling with a party of six, Brigadier General Peleus, with me at his side, and another four soldiers that were part of a Grade S squad, some of the best fighters we have in the PPA. Of course, I was much more powerful than any of them. I was Brigadier General Peleus' assigned partner, allocated by the Marshal himself.

We passed by numerous different trees, though in the dead of night it really just looked like all the surrounding nature blended with each other, making it impossible to notice their differences. Brigadier General Peleus was like a father figure to me, since I had no family of my own, and he was very particular about my… education. He personally tutored me, on many subjects. Though the most interesting one was still 'Combat', I particularly put 'Natural Biology' as second favorite.

Due to that, I was very used to seeing many different species of creatures and plants, particularly rare herbs. I could differentiate plants very easily, but in this darkness I could hardly make out anything. Truth be told, I was surprised I was even chosen for this mission, there were plenty of people that were so much more suited for the job, but Commander Peleus picked me.

"While there may be many more people more skilled and more suited for the mission, I can't trust them as well as I trust you. There's no one I would rather have for this mission." Brigadier General Peleus had said on the day we left.

I was honored, of course. But with each passing day we faced more and more dangers and each time I couldn't help but chicken out. Brigadier General Peleus was always looking out for me, and I was more of a burden than help. Even as we stepped into Twilight Forest my courage deserted me and left me with a void of nerves. I couldn't help being paranoid, particularly in this time of night. I really hated the dark.

I suppose Brigadier General Peleus' senses were sharper than I thought, and once he saw my head looking downward deep in thought, his words snapped me back to reality, "Reminiscing, Xaleil?"

I looked up in a panicky way, and my eyes met Commander Peleus. He was quite taller than me, so I constantly had to look up when I talked to him. The first thing I learned in the PPA was that to one should always look at the person when talking to him or her, so one could show the person utmost respect. I took that lesson to heart.

"It's nothing, Brigadier General Peleus. Its just…"

"Ah, now I remember. You're not too fond of the dark, are you?"

"…No… I'm not."

"Ah, then I see the problem. Well, there's not much we can do for now. It'll be another four hours until sunrise, so until then I hope you can bear with it. We'll be out of Twilight Forest in a couple of hours, and then you'll get to see the sun, alright?"

"Alright, I'll stop thinking about it then."

My ears twitched, picking up gossiping whispers from behind me. Ever since I had turned into a Plusle-hybrid, my hearing had become much more sensitive, and I could pick up even the faintest of sounds.

"Man, I think the Brigadier General dotes on the kid too much." The first of the four soldiers walking behind us said.

"Yeah, I mean, the Brigadier General acts as if the kid is his younger brother or something. Jumping in just to save him from danger and all. And now just because the kid is scared of the dark the Brigadier General's consoling him! The kid really needs to grow up." The second agreed.

"Hey, come on guys. So the Brigadier General likes him and treats him like a little brother. That doesn't give us the right to be gossiping behind his back, so shut it. Try to remember, the Brigadier General lost his little brother last year." The third retorted.

"You're right… maybe this is his way of atonement. Let's just keep quiet, or the kid and the commander will hear us." The fourth made all of them shut it, after ending the conversation with a neutral standpoint. I have to say, the fourth seems to be the smartest.

After that it was just plain silence. The only sounds were the occasional whooshing wind that blew past the branches of the trees that lined the two sides of the path and our feet trampling and rustling the grass below us. It was peaceful, for once, a rarity on dangerous quests like this one.

At least, that's how it was until we heard impossibly loud screams behind us. The two soldiers at the back of the group screamed for a moment, before their voices were hushed, and a pair of glowing red snake eyes appeared as its eyelids uncovered the irises, a silhouette of a hybrid accompanying it. The figure vanished off into the trees, leaving the two corpses of maimed souls behind. Brigadier General Peleus and I rushed to see what happened, and the sight almost forced my stomach to convulse in disgust.

He had used a Leaf Blade technique, slicing through the two soldiers clean through, leaving nothing but four parts of disembodied humans, their blood and organs spilling onto the ground. It was the most disgusting sight I had ever seen. But, it wasn't as surprising as what happened next.

I heard Brigadier General Peleus whisper to me, and it sounded like a direct order.

"Listen, Xaleil, when the assassin returns and attacks again, I want you to 'Spark' into hiding, and don't come out until the battle is over, got it? If I should lose this battle, I want you to take my sword and head to Zone C-35, and get there within the next three hours, before daylight. My sword will be at that bush over there," He paused, before pointing to a bush directly left, then he continued, "Hide there, and get out if things go bad, got it?"

"Huh? But Peleus-"

I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence before another streak of green energy flashed across the air, taking out another soldier and leaving him in the same state as the previous two. I followed Brigadier General Peleus' orders, using my warp ability 'Spark', which is similar to Brigadier General Peleus' 'Blaze', I warped to the bush he had pointed at earlier, and watched the whole scene unfurl from there.

The assassin got unlucky, taking a shot in the left thigh from the remaining soldier, but eventually even the last soldier was taken out. Brigadier General Peleus unsheathed Argentum, and the battle got even more intense. Argentum began with a Force Stream attack, but missed the assassin completely! There has never been anyone who was able to block, much less dodge that attack! The battle went left and right, each fighter exchanging blows. But eventually Commander Peleus was defeated, and that assassin opened a portal, with both their silhouette disappearing into the rift.

Once the battle had ended, I looked around in the bush, until something sparkled in my eye. I picked up Argentum, the same place Brigadier General Peleus told me it would be. With determination in my eyes, I used Spark, keeping the intervals between each use of the skill as short as possible as I warped through the forest, and eventually I reached the exit. It was still dark out, which meant it was still as terrifying as it was back in the forest, but I forced myself to keep going.

**Time: 6:31 AM  
>Historia: Present<strong>

As of now, I'm still using Spark to get to Zone C-35, where Commander Peleus said to go. I had a squadron of Betrayal Force soldiers on my tail a couple of minutes ago, but it looks like I've shaken them off. Oh, I hope I can get there in time.

* * *

><p>-Risk-<p>

**Location: Vernier Forest: Central Hideout  
>Date: 15<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 6:49 AM<br>Historia: Present**

I sat at the table, Xavier sitting exactly opposite me. We both had our poker faces on, staring at each other as if the both of us had just committed some sort of grave crime. Xavier revealed his hand from under the table, the very deciding factor contained within his very palm. He unclenched his fist, and in a flash flicked his thumb upwards, the object flying skyward before eventually landing back on his palm. We made our bets, then and there.

"Heads!" I shouted, taking the opportunity to make the decision.

"Then I'll go for tails!" He retorted, revealing his palm to check the face of the coin inside.

It showed the crest of Pylius, along with the date, and year the coin was made. That face of the coin… was heads!

"Aw yeah! I won again!"

"Aw man, this is the two-hundred and fifty ninth time!"

"Looks like you lose, Xavier, now fork over the cash."

He handed me a wad of cash, and I smiled a surprisingly evil grin.

"So, wanna keep playing? Cos' you know you'll just lose again!"

"Nah, I'm gonna need some time to recoup my losses. Man, you're good at gambling. Family trait?"

"Not at all, just something I picked up as a kid. Luck skyrockets for me every time!" I snickered; amused by the infinitesimal number of times Xavier might've lost to me if he kept going. Just thinking about how many Lyrions I could get just by gambling with the richest people in the high-tech cities of Pylius was literally enough to make dollar signs appear in my eyes, and I could've sworn I saw Xavier rolling his eyes, not that I can blame him.

"So, what do you want to do now? It's been peaceful for the last couple of days. Partially due to Vernier Forest's automatic warping abilities, we haven't had much action for the last couple of days. So, what do you want to do?"

"No plans, Xavier. As of late, I'm still researching the Fallen Light powers and I've only managed to come up with so little. I'll be doing some more digging and hopefully I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Right… I hope you won't mind if I go out to town for a couple of hours."

"What do you plan to do, Xavier? You know your physical mutations are too noticeable for anyone to not be able to see them in public." I reminded him.

"I know, but I was planning on doing some shopping, with the Lyrions I have left."

"You know, if you need a loan, don't be afraid to ask, that gambling spree really was just for fun. Since we'll be working together, the money we have is practically shared. And don't be so prideful to be unable to ask for a favor. Now, what is it that you wanted to buy?"

"Oh, it was just some supplies that I wanted to buy. I wanted to stock us up on emergency supplies just in case we might have to leave Vernier Forest one of these days."

"Oh, if it was just that, you have no cause for alarm. We have plenty of emergency rations stocked in the back room. You don't need to go out, and besides I don't want to risk Betrayal Force finding you and capturing you. I think we better stay here unless we really don't have a choice."

"Alright then… I'll stay here."

Seeing as we were both in agreement, I left him to his thoughts as he headed back to his bedroom in my little hideout here in Vernier Forest, while I headed outside the cave labyrinth for some fresh air. I had been cooped up inside for most of the morning, and majority of the time I had been gambling with Xavier. Not that I could complain, with the eighty thousand Lyrions I got from him. I was quite surprised he had that much money on him, though.

The cave's darkness soon faded into bright morning sunshine as my walk through the caves came to and end. A strong breeze of fresh grassy air struck me in the face as my eyes squinted from the light rays, taking a good two seconds to get used to. I put on a sky blue cap, a rarity for me to be wearing, but the sun just was something too bright for me not to block out for the day. My hands slipped into my jean pockets, and my legs moved on their own, taking me for a walk through Vernier Forest, the same route I had taken for a long while.

It was peaceful, like many days here on my safe haven. No one ever found me here in Vernier Forest, well, except for some Betrayal Force soldiers on some particularly unlucky days. Summer was coming to an end, and autumn was almost upon us. In response, the trees had begun to shed their leaves, the green feathers of nature changing into a multitude of colors. They came in a wide variety, red, orange, brown, and a whole lot of colors in between. The leaves fluttered down to the ground almost everyday and like a shower of falling petals, the green grass that dotted the landscape of Vernier Forest now covered in a blanket of leaves.

This made today's walk that much more interesting. And little did I know, it was today that just got much more twisted.

It happened at the edge of the forest, where I usually went when I wanted a little peace of mind and a glimpse into the outside world. But this time, instead of peace and quiet a loud panting noise blew along with the gentle breeze, and a string of electric sparks dotted the land below the large hill that Vernier Forest had recently warped to. I watched as the sparks appeared and vanished just as quickly, their pattern quite erratic as they seemed to get closer and closer…

_Wait, is it just me… or are those sparks headed for us?! _

I thought too late, the sparks dashed towards me, and struck me straight in the chest, sending me flying back into the tress. A silhouette appeared from the sparks, and upon first sight I realized the sparks weren't electric, it was a kid! A plusle-hybrid!

I jumped down from the branches he had knocked me into, and took a closer look at him, taking note of everything I saw. Grey hair, shorter than me, looks around fourteen, cream-colored streak across his hair, slightly cream tinged skin, plusle ears, plus signs on the back of his palms. And in his hands…

_No way… is that the silver blade I saw Imperius wielding on the night of our escape? How did this kid come to have it? Ah, stupid! I should get him inside the hideout; his injuries look serious!_

I picked him up, and thankfully he wasn't in the least bulky or heavy, being quite younger than me. I slung the silver sword he had carried along with him over my back, and carrying his body the way a mother would carry her baby (that sounds weird) and rushed through the forest. The grass split from the ground and clouds of dust trailed my steps, my silhouette going at top speeds to reach the cave that was quite the distance from the edge of the forest. There wasn't long to wait, however. Within a matter of seconds the cave entrance came into view, the particularly dense part of the forest concealing the entrance to the cave, in case of invaders.

The forest blended together in a blur of green and brown, my feet running at fleeting speeds into the cave entrance, through the elaborate labyrinth of cave corridors and finally into the hideout itself. Xavier was nowhere to be found, I could only assume he had already left for his trip into town, which was fine by me. Hopefully I could patch this guy's wounds by myself. I proceeded to the room that I had set aside for hospital purposes, and put the guy on a bed that I had guiltily stolen from a Betrayal Force hospital. I suppose that wasn't too fair, but then again all's fair in love and war.

Once I set him down, my shallow breathing subsided, slowly stabilizing to a gentler pace, with me taking much deeper breaths to make up for the lack of oxygen on my way here. I relaxed for a short moment, before I set to work, preparing whatever medical supplies I had salvaged from my lab raids over these six months. I mentally reviewed the list of items that I could use as of now: bandages, medicinal cream, cooling patch for fever, and a couple of other stuff that seemed unimportant.

I raised his shirt to reveal his abdominal area, the bright yellow color of the T-shirt concealing the deep gash that was planted there. A steady stream of blood still leaked out the side of the wound, originally staining the back of the shirt and currently staining the bed with its crimson shade. I quickly grabbed a bunch of cotton, and sprayed the antiseptic that I found among the medicinal supplies. I slowly dabbed it on the wound, careful to do it cautiously in fear of it being infected. Now THAT would be a serious problem, if it should arise.

He winced in pain at the cold sting of the antiseptic spray, which was a normal reaction, even in unconsciousness. His body recoiled for a moment there, probably out of instinct, but I somehow managed to keep his body from jerking too much and slowly cleaned the wound out. Once the blood had dried and the wound was cleaned, I began applying the bandages to it, though with a gash that big I had to resort to the really serious injuries type of bandages, wrapping it around his abdomen like a mummification process.

Soon the entire process was done, and I lifted my hands from his body. I tugged on his shirt, covering the bandage that now concealed the wound, and wiped a drop of sweat from my forehead, the entire experience clearly taxing my mental nerves. I washed my hands in a nearby flowing underground spring, the 'cave' version of a sink. Heaving a sigh of relief, I walked out of the 'hospital room', leaving the injured plusle-hybrid to rest. At that point, I heard the familiar shuffling of footsteps coming down the stone steps that lead to the upper levels of the hideout, and I almost panicked for a moment. The familiar flygon showed his face, and relaxation overtook my worries.

"Hey, Risk. What happened? You look like you've been through a great ordeal."

"I have! In case you haven't noticed, I'm panting my lungs out here!"

"Alright, chill. What's the problem?"

"We have an injured hybrid in the infirmary, that's what."

"What!? Let me take a look at him!" He rushed into the infirmary, tossing the supplies he had bought on his trip to town at my face, leaving my poor head to take the impact of the overpowering amount of items he had purchased, and I could've sworn I heard myself yelp.

Once my face had recovered from being squashed like a pancake, I joined Xavier in the infirmary, and he looked even more worried than I was. This is so cliché, when I'm worried, Xavier's relaxed, and now we switch places! He was closely examining the unconscious hybrid's wound, and his facial muscles tensed like they had some problem relaxing.

"What seems to be the problem, Xavier? You seem so… tensed."

"You didn't notice, did you? I suppose I can't blame you, nightshade poison is really difficult to pick out."

_Wait… POISON!? WHEN THE HELL DID THAT CROP UP!?_

He continued explaining, "Nightshade poison comes from the sap of the nightshade trees, grown very rarely in this part of Pylius. They're commonly found in the upper arctic regions of Pylius, growing particularly well in freezing temperatures. The colder their growing temperatures are, the deadlier the poison. The poison's symptoms can be easily distinguished by these black veins from the wound," He gestured to the black crack-like veins growing out of the bandage, "but it is very hard to cure it even after identifying the poison."

"Then, would you happen to have a solution? I need to ask him something when he wakes up."

"I might, but it may take a couple hours to work."

"Do whatever you can, I'll try to prepare something herbal."

I left him to his antics, my last glimpse of him featured his palms facing the unconscious plusle, palms wide open and mysterious wisps of faint light dancing off his fingers, dissipating upon contact with the poisonous veins. I had no time to worry about what he was doing; however, I had to prepare something that I had learned how to prepare over the last six months.

Truth be told, I was no good at herbalism and the like, in fact I probably wouldn't be able to tell a normal tree from an oak tree from a willow tree even if I stared at the three for six hours. I was never any good with herbs and medicinal plants, but my mother was. She'd make herbal remedies for whenever my brother and I got sick, tired, or just plain injured.

I never bothered to learn any of the recipes my mother ever made, the only thing that I could say was that I regretted not learning them after I became a hybrid. If I did, those recipes would come in handy thousands of times in the span of one month, the danger level of being a hybrid fighting against the Betrayal Force on a scale of one to ten was infinite upon infinity.

But still, in these six months I had managed to learn one recipe, albeit from memory of my mother making it multiple times. It served as a rejuvenation remedy, healing both injuries, and doing wonders to replenish lost energy. It did absolutely nothing to counteract poison, though, so for that I would have to leave it to Xavier's expertise.

I entered the kitchen that I had made in the caves over the months since I found Vernier Forest and this hideout, and sitting there was everything I needed. Thankfully the forest warped near a swamp very recently, and I was able to gather a treasure trove of herbs thanks to it. _Thank you, Elpius_ was the first thing I thought when I came back. I quickly set to work, boiling a pot of water over the fire, started by gas stoves that I had (again) stolen from Betrayal Force facilities. Come to think of it, almost all the electrical stuff I had here was stuff I raided from my enemies, so I guess they weren't completely useless and annoying.

The water soon heated to a boil, numerous bubbles of air rising to the surface that created a continuous popping sound that covered the kitchen entirely. The water continued to boil, as I worked directly beside it, preparing the herbs to be boiled. There were many different ways to prepare herbs for boiling, and various different herbs had various different ways of preparation. For example, Enixious, a type of herb that did wonders to heal injuries, was best prepared for boiling by first removing the flowers and stalk to leave only the leaves behind, then chopping the leaves into tiny little flakes.

I dropped the first of herbs into the boiling water, and the transparency shifted to a natural green. The second batch of herbs were dropped, and from green it changed to a turquoise color, green and blue mixed, after all. The third batch of herbs was boiled, and from turquoise it slowly changed into a cyan color, the wonderful glow that colored the morning sky. I then proceeded to stir the herbs in together with a ladle, sprinkling in an herb that was commonly used in spices, just to make the medicine easier to take in.

I turned off the gas; the fire shrinking until it completely vanished, leaving no traces of its existence. Lifting the pot of cyan boiling water off the stove, I balanced it on the side of the table for a short instant and used my free hand to place a sieve on the pot itself, to make sure no leaves accidentally get inhaled. With the sieve in place, I poured the boiling water into ten separate bottles, and then put in in the fridge, which wasn't powered by electricity, but by Xavier's ice abilities; handy, isn't it?

The bottles had to be frozen to cold temperatures before taken out to defrost before they could be taken as medicine. If done wrongly, the medicine could prove to be fatal if one took too big a dose or if the preparation was flawed. Or at least, that's what I remember my mother telling me in the past. I took a break, placing the pot and the other materials I used in a mini-waterfall that I had created by breaking the wall above to let the water flow in, so that they could be washed and ready for the next use. My muscles slowly relaxed in the seat of the table in the main room of the hideout, my eyes irresistibly closing as the strenuous worrying finally came to an end.

The next time my eyes opened, I realized I had dozed off without realizing it. Xavier was seated directly opposite me, in the exact same position that we were in when we were gambling earlier.

"So, you're finally awake. I was wondering when you'd finally open your eyes, you sleepy-head."

"Oh, shut up. So, how's the plusle? Is the poison purged from his systems yet?"

"He's fine, the nightshade has been completely eliminated from his system, and I collected the remaining liquid in a bottle, in case it comes in handy."

"Ooookay… I'll try to find something useful for that I suppose."

"So, where's that herbal remedy you were talking about?"

"Oh, right! I should take out the liquid to defrost before giving it to the hybrid."

I walked over to the fridge, all the way in the kitchen, and took out all ten bottles to defrost. I put it in the place where I would usually do laundry, not that we needed laundry since we weren't that well-to-do and we didn't have luxuries like buying clothes, so we just stuck to our everyday outfits. Anyway, I placed the bottles on a metal tray and put it in the sun, under a skylight that would let the sun's rays and heat shine down on one sole area. The sun would speed up the defrosting process, and I was in and out in ten minutes. I took one bottle of the herbal medicine, and poured it into a cup, lacing it with sweet honey to mask the bitter taste. The rest of the unused medicine was stored in a wooden cabinet, to be used when the need arose again.

I took the teacup to the infirmary, passing by Xavier who was snoozing on the table with his head leaning on his forearms, and was relieved to see that the hybrid had finally come round.

"Hey, glad to see you're finally awake." I said, his momentary confusion causing him to look around and scan his surroundings for a moment.

"Here, drink this," I carefully placed the cup in his lap, after which he held it within his palms, "it'll make you feel better."

He glanced at me, then at the cup, then back at me and said, "Alright!" With no hesitation he began sipping the remedy as if he was sipping tea, the faint bitter taste of the medicine an obvious normality to him. I just hoped the sweet taste of the honey would mask majority of the medicine's taste.

"This tastes good, what is it?"

"It's… actually a herbal medicine. If you say it tastes good that means the honey did its job well."

His expression changed, and then he said, "Oh, so it was the honey. Well, I'm feeling a lot better now, the medicine must really have a strong effect."

"I suppose so."

"Ah! I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Xaleil, Xaleil Impetus."

* * *

><p>-?-<p>

**Location: Skyward Peak, Icarus Resistance HQ  
>Date: 15<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 8:31 AM<br>Historia: Present**

A flash of light streaked across my black vision, lighting it up to a mix between white, orange, red and yellow, a bright mixture of colors that would have given me a seizure if I didn't open up my eyes in shock. My body bolted up instinctively, the sheets of the bed that covered me flipped off in an instant, my head feeling massive pain as it knocked into someone else's, causing a sudden scream followed by the distinct sounds of moaning and groaning, not that I wasn't participating.

I rubbed my forehead, the red swell already beginning to appear. When my vision finally cleared, I managed to look down at the person that had the audacity to even try something like that. My sight spotted an orange horn, and a certain crimson red hairband holding back a bundle of raven black hair tied in a ponytail. My eyes moved downward again, I spotted forest green irises and a distinct orange horn that grew out of the person's forehead, and I saw a fair complexion… No doubt about it, that person is…

"Raven! What did I tell you about waking me up like that!"

"Haha! I know what you said," she paused, then closed her eyes and said, in a perfect annoying imitation of my voice, "If you ever wake me up like that, so help me I will send you to the land of souls there and back a hundred times." And then she switched back to her voice, "but I can't help it! Your expression each time is priceless!"

"How do I stand you is beyond me… So, any reason you woke me up at, " I paused to check the analogue clock that was hung on the wall that my bed was against, "8.30 in the morning? You know I like sleeping late when there isn't anything important."

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot. I thought you might want to know; 'Virtue' Excius is back from his mission."

"What? Excius is back already? Well, then, I better go and see what he obtained from his mission. Please tell Excius that I will see him in ten minutes. Please ask him to wait for me in the central portal room."

"Very well, Lady 'Seraphim' Serene." She said, switching back into a formal tone.

She left the room, without another word, her footsteps barely making a sound as she trudged across the marble floor and the door clicked open as she turned it's doorknob, her silhouette disappearing beyond the my line of sight as the door closed shut. Now that I was alone, I quickly got out of bed; I had only ten minutes, after all. Changing from my nightgown into my priest robe, my normal appearance here at our headquarters, I grabbed my rapier on my way out and left my quarters to its silence.

There were already many angels walking around, awake to begin their early morning missions. Many were still in bed, just as many were waking up and leaving for the day, and just as many had already left. I passed by more than one door, and beyond each door contained a living quarter for three or more angels. Bunkrooms, the modern world called it. With each angel I passed, they bowed their heads in respect, and honor that I still felt embarrassed to be given even until now.

I suppose an explanation is in order. This is Skyward Peak, the tallest and most treacherous mountain in the entire world of Pylius, and where the Icarus Resistance had built their headquarters. It served two functions, a place where the warrior angels could hold up and plan their missions, and a gate to Limitless Village, a sanctuary for all hybrids who wished to live their lives in peace. I joined the Icarus Resistance around two years ago, just after I had turned into a Braviary-hybrid.

The hierarchy or ranks here at the Icarus Resistance followed the angelic hierarchy, and I was currently at the highest rank, 'Seraphim' or 'Seraph'. The 'angels' I referred to were the multitude of hybrids at the lowest rank here at the Icarus Resistance, warrior angels who carried out small missions and jobs. The 'Archangels' were one rank above the normal angels, and they were leader angels that commanded small groups of normal angels.

The hierarchy is split up even more, with the 'Rulers' commanding three to four Archangel groups at once, and they were usually the ones for the Archangels to report to after their missions, and being a Ruler really is torturous (I speak from experience, sadly), since most of the time their just doing a whole lot of filing and sorting of reports. Together these three make up the 'Third Sphere' of the angel hierarchy.

Those reports are then given to the 'Authorities', the 'librarians' of the Icarus Resistance who guard the archives, both past and present pieces of writing that are being kept there. They don't do much else, but the occasional Authority may be chosen to do other guard-based jobs. After them come the 'Virtues'. They are often referred to as commanders of a large portion of the Icarus Resistance, and they command around four to five Rulers, which in turn commands around twenty to twenty-five Archangel teams.

And above them would be the 'Dominions', which were also known as the champions of the Icarus Resistance. In this position would be a select few angels that had extremely adept abilities in battle. These three ranks made up the 'Second Sphere' of the hierarchy.

Which leads me to the top three: Ophanim, Cherubim and Seraphim. There were only three of us, one taking each place. These three made up the 'First Sphere', the highest-ranking angels here at the Icarus Resistance. I was at the top of the entire hierarchy, Seraphim, after the previous one had retired to Limitless Village. My assistant was Raven Eltear, the girl that liked to wake me up with crazy and 'devious' ways, a Dominion and my personal friend.

It seemed the entire walk had ended earlier than I had thought, it was over in five minutes, and the angels that buzzed in and out of the portals that served as the entrance and exit of the headquarters were paid no heed by my mind. I walked down the flight of stairs that lead to the central hall, where the central portal was located, just in between of the two flights of stairs that lead to the upper level, curved in a way that it looked almost like a grand hall.

In the middle of the central hall floor was the Icarus Resistance insignia, a holy orb spreading four white wings, two were spread wide open and two curved, half-spread. Standing on that very depiction was 'Virtue' Excius, someone I had asked to take care of a mission for me. Upon seeing me, his posture and body language changed from a casual one to standing straight with his hands beside him. I walked slowly towards him, taking step by step slowly, with no sense of hurrying.

"Welcome back, Excius. How was your mission?"

"Well, Lady Serene-" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before I stepped forward at blinding speed and pointed my rapier at his throat, causing him to gulp.

"Getting careless, Excius?"

"I could say the same about you, Lady Serene."

I looked down, and I saw that his sword was unsheathed as well, pointed at close range at my abdominal area, the same length as my rapier was from his throat.

"Hmm, I suppose we could call this a draw. And stop calling me 'Lady', you know how it makes me feel."

"Oh, does it embarrass you, Lady-"

I rushed forward and gave him a hard knock on the head, causing him to grip his head in pain while mumbling, "Ow…" This also gave Raven, who was standing quite close to our little meeting, quite the shock.

"I said, SERENE. No 'LADY'. Get it?"

"Alright, alright, I concede defeat, okay? Man, you're scary when you get serious, Serene."

"Good, and don't you forget that. Come on, we'll head to the Tri-Room for our discussion. As for you, Raven, you're free for the day, perhaps you might want to check on your brother, Heath? He always likes seeing you whenever you have time."

"Good idea. Thank you for giving me some free time, Lady Serene."

Excius and I watched as Raven blended into the crowd, disappearing beyond the multitude of hybrids and vanishing into the depths of the portal that lead to Limitless Village. Once she had gone to Limitless Village, Excius and I made our way to the Tri-Room, a place much like a throne room but it was consolidated among the First Sphere of angels. Each of us had a throne, and the room was built just like a courtroom, but it was completely made of precious metals such as gold and silver, and the Icarus Resistance insignia was plastered on the wall above the three thrones.

The majestic white ivory door was pushed open, and the glory of the Tri-Room lay within. The current Ophanim and Cherubim were nowhere to be seen, and my only guess would be that they would be somewhere where they could battle and spar with each other; they always liked to keep their skills sharp. Though, for our little discussion, peace and quiet was exactly what we needed. Excius and I headed to behind the Seraphim throne, and into my little 'office', as many people called it. I shut the door with a faint thud, and opened the curtains, letting the rays of sunlight illuminate the room.

"Well, now that we're alone, I would like your full report on your mission, Excius."

"Alright, Serene. Where would you like me to start?

* * *

><p>-Excius-<p>

**Location: Survival Lab Ruins  
>Date: 14<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 5:46 PM<br>Historia: Past**

Under the orders of Lady 'Seraphim' Serene, I undertook her personal mission. It was sort of a scouting mission, but more of spying than scouting. She had wanted me to gather information on a certain individual by the codename of 'Lapsus'. Doing as she commanded, I departed from Skyward Peak at 5 PM sharp, and set out for the ruins of the Survival Lab where traces of a Fallen Angel energy was detected around six months ago. According to Lady Serene, the First Sphere of angels had originally wanted to send out a search party when they first detected the Fallen Angel energy traces, but they were short of numbers to compose one, and after six months she supposed the other two had forgotten about it. She hadn't, however, and this mission was solely dedicated to that.

My speed was impressive, and that same comment came from many hybrids around me, allowing me to move at lightning flash speeds that got me to my destinations fairly quickly. I dashed through the woods and plains and many other landscaped just blurred past me as my speed took me flying through them all, leaving nothing but a trail of dust and a dark blue silhouette behind. After all, I am a Swellow-hybrid. The most distinct mutation I had obtained from being a hybrid was the pair of wings that resembled a majestic Swellow, with a wide wingspan and sharp tips to reduce drag and increase speed. The wings were not only good for flying but they also helped when I needed extra speed on the ground.

Soon, I reached the border of the destroyed forest, and I walked through the green trees into a field of blackened soil, with charred tree stumps and near-collapsing tree branches dotting the landscape of the once beautiful forest. It was a place of devastation, a wide circle of blackened soil with a radius of two miles, and just beyond its edge were the remaining parts of the forest that survived the blast or whatever was unleashed here.

This time, I walked slowly, using my sharp eyes to observe every detail of the charred area, and with each tree I passed the situation became more and more intriguing. The trees weren't charred by fire, because the nature of the blackened spots were spiked in one direction, as if an outward blast of enormous power was unleashed right at the center of this wide circle. The soil was charred, but when I dug through the first layer of soil I found that even underneath the soil was charred, something no normal explosion or blaze could do.

Eventually, my search came to the center of the circle, which was a massive structure that once looked like something, but now it was just charred ruins of bricks and stone, and nearly three-quarters of it looked like it had disintegrated, with the dust scattering on the outside like outward facing ashes. The outside structure still seemed to actually look like a lab, but the inside had suffered worse, if you could even tell the difference between the two now that only a few structures and walls still stood upright while the rest had been reduced to dust.

I stepped 'in', if you could even call this place an indoor area, and continued my observation, which was my job here, after all. I studied the results of the destruction carefully, the char marks much worse than the ones that I found on the trees outside, with most of the standing walls completely blackened to the point where no one could tell what they used to be, and even the remaining walls looked like they were still crumbling.

My theory was proven correct when I accidentally bumped into a wall by accident, and I was forced to dive for cover as the ceiling held up by that wall and surrounding ones collapsed on the ground. That was the last ceiling in this structure, and everything could just be considered as rubble by now.

And then I sensed it, a force of dark energy blow past my wings. A chill ran up my spine, the feeling stretching to even the tips of my wings and instinctively caused them to curl around my body, as if the temperature was somehow dropping. It wasn't, though, it was merely an effect of the residual dark energy that was left behind here, probably by the attack that destroyed more than half the forest. Upon feeling that energy, I became much more worried, and I rushed around, seeing if I could pick up the residual traces so I could bring it back to the HQ.

My eyes soon rested on a piece of dug up ground, and in that tiny pit was a small pool of blackened water, with black colored steam slowly rising from it. It seemed like a poison that was just as dangerous as acid that could burn through flesh and bone, and every instinct in my body told me to either ignore it or approach it with extreme caution.

With a little bit of luck, and a whole lot of caution, I managed to gather some of the blackened liquid, which I then pocketed in the sling bag that I had brought alone with me, hoping that one of the 'Authorities' back at the HQ would have something on this, or at least something that could analyze its composition. With my work here done, I took whatever notes I needed on paper, and got out of there before the residual dark energy could affect my mental state any longer. Whoever released that energy, he would either have to be so evil that he deserved to be in hell, or be a really pitiful soul that was cursed with an evil power.

My wings wasted no time in recovering from the exposure to the dark energy, and soon I was back to moving at lightning speeds, dashing through the forests and landscape back to my point of origin, Skyward Peak – The HQ of the Icarus Resistance. At least, that was my original plan until I heard certain explosions sound in the distance. The force and ensuing winds from the bright spheres of fire and light knocked me off my dash, blowing me backwards into a nearby tree and smashing against its trunk with an enormous amount of force.

This intrigued me, and so I headed the direction where the explosions came from, my curiosity for more possible information about 'Lapsus' giving my conscience no choice but to head into the line of fire.

**Location: Lyra Woods  
>Time: 5:15 PM<strong>

I peered into the thick ensemble of trees, and unfolding inside was what looked like a battle of epic proportions. It was a one-on-one battle, and both of them looked like grass-type hybrids.

One one side, there was a hybrid that seemed to have taken on a servine form, with a servine's tail and a forked tongue that constantly flicked out, and he also sported a distinct set of slit-like red irises. He was clad in a green colored stealth-type armor that seemed to have been specially made just for him, his tail being uncovered and a bulletproof helmet with enough space for his tongue to flick out. The most intriguing thing about it was the insignia plastered on the right side of the chest plate.

_That's… Betrayal Force's insignia! He must work for them!_

I turned my eyes to the other side of the battlefield, and there stood a blond-haired boy that looked around 17 years old, with him possessing a light green colored complexion and a head-leaf that overlapped with his blond hair, leading me to believe that he had taken on a grovyle form. On his forearms were three leaf blades each, and they were all arced backwards, cutting through his clothes. He also possessed a three-leaf tail, and his irises were crimson-red, and he was wearing a typical teenager outfit.

_This boy… He seems to fit the description of the picture that some of our Archangel teams had managed to capture. Perhaps he is the one I am looking for._

I did a high jump and landed on a nearby tree branch, perched there while watching the battle unfold.

* * *

><p>-Risk-<p>

**Location: Lyra Woods  
>Date: 14<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 5:17 PM<br>Historia: Past**

"So, you've found me again… I'd hoped I'd never see you again, psychopath."

"…I have a name, and you might as well use it. I am Adrien, personal assistant to Sir Zero!"

"Who cares what your name is? You tried to kill me last time, and I won't let that happen again!" I charged forward, Leaf Blade prepped to do some serious damage.

I shouted as I was on top of him, slashing across his position hoping to do some serious damage. But, it was just wishful thinking for him to just stand there and take the blow. He moved at lightning speeds, dodging my attack with ease. His silhouette faded high into the air, leaping over my head and landing right behind me. I spun around without second thoughts, charging once again with my leaf blades swung back glowing bright green. This time, I slashed straight downwards, and he side-stepped it easily. His speed was something that I could only hope to achieve, his agility imitating a shadow.

I anticipated his dodging pattern, having used this myself a couple of times, and instantly switched my attack from a downward slash to a side-swipe, but even then he managed to dodge it, albeit escaping with a minor gash to his right arm.

"Hmph… I see you've gotten at least a little stronger since last time, but it still won't be enough to defeat me!"

"Tch… Shut up." I muttered, getting quite pissed off by this guy.

I joined my hands together, both thrust in front of me as an orb of green energy glowed and enlarged, accompanied by a soft and low hum as the energy from the forest around me gathered and focused into the compressed sphere. I shouted 'Terra Flare!' invoking the attack's name and tossing the orb of energy in a straight path towards Adrien, creating a gigantic green explosion upon impact. It did little to slow him down, since he dodged by doing another high jump and leaping over the attack, landing in front of the impressive green semi-sphere.

"Please, if that's all you've got, then this is a waste of time. I suppose I should just finish you off right now."

He took on a fighting stance, and he then dashed sideways, his Stealth Camo ability cloaking him as he blended in with the environment, as if he was an assassin from the shadows. I could no longer see where he was, and it was a bit worrying, to say the least. The last time he used this ability I fell prey to it, and it did not end well last time.

_There has to be a way… But if I just stand here I'll be giving him an easy shot. These types of techniques most likely give the user a tendency to dash around the opponent in circles, so if I did the same… It probably WON'T work, but at least it'll make it harder to hit me._

I dashed into the plumage of the woods, pausing for a second to activate Instant Flash, giving me an instantaneous burst of speed and allowing me to dash around the battlefield haphazardly, making it that much more difficult to hit me if he was trying to aim a shot at me with his rifle. Unfortunately, I seemed to have overestimated myself and deeply underestimated his ability to predict my moves. It took a good thirty seconds, but he eventually found a pattern in haphazard dashing and he managed to counter it, unleashing a Leaf Blade attack that I dashed right into, the repelling force of the attack sending me flying and crashing into two trees at once.

I put both of my hands on the ground, my palms feeling the soft grass below me, as I put some energy into my arms and pushed myself up, getting back on my feet to continue the battle. However, my efforts were only met with even more disaster, as my eyes caught on to a stream of purple liquid I recognized as Toxic just in time, and I sidestepped far away from the attack, the liquid poisoning the tree that it hit and causing it to wilt within seconds.

It didn't stop there either. Multitudes of purple streams came flying towards me, and I had to use all the senses and energy I had left just to dodge all of them, and even then I had a whole lot of close calls. I dodged one, and another would come flying towards me, along with a whole more to block off nearly all of my possible dodging routes, save one or two. With each one came more, and it seemed to be an endless wave. During this whole time, I kept wondering, 'Why doesn't he block off all of my escape routes? Why leave one? And why does it seem like he doesn't tire at all?'

The toxic ensemble finally ended, giving me enough time to charge up another Terra Flare and release it just as I sidestepped the last of those purple streams. The orb of energy flew through the air, unleashing another massive explosion where Adrien once was, a futile attempt in which Adrien simply countered by dodging out of the way.

"Tch… Screw this. Let's see how you like this!"

I conjured another Terra Flare, the energy building and compressing slowly into the small ball of energy. I pulled back my arm, ready to toss it at the intended target, when a voice flashed through my head, almost like a conscience… or a battle aid?

"_You really are dumb, aren't you?" The voice said._

The voice caught my attention, temporarily surprising me and causing the stored up energy to dissipate and disintegrate.

"_Wait a minute… who are you anyway?"_

"_Ah… that you have no need to know. But for now… I'll settle with teaching you the importance of manipulation."_

"_Manipulation? What do you mean?"_

"_Just give me a minute…"_

I waited, and watched as Adrien charged, his tail glowing bright and burning green, his Leaf Blade prepped to strike me, and the he just… paused. Literally, he just stopped in mid-air, screaming and ready to slice me into pieces and all that. It was as if time had stopped, and that kind of made my fighting stance practically redundant, without Adrien being able to move.

"_Well, now the wait is over."_

"_How… did you do that?"_

"_Ah ah, explanations are redundant. Now, let's get on with the lesson."_

"_What lesson?"_

"_Listen carefully and you'll find out. Now, as you might already know, energy is the force that flows all around us, and a select few can learn to control the energy, using it to conjure up unimaginable feats of 'magical' properties, which can then be used for many things, such as fighting and everyday activities, correct?"_

"_Yes… I know that, I picked that up from a book I recently finished. I think it was titled 'Concepts of Energy'." I said in my mind, talking to the possibly inexistent voice, an imaginary whiteboard appearing in my head as I processed all the information he was giving me."_

"_Good, then I won't have to waste too much time explaining it to you. Now, the energy that the select few can control, can manifest in many forms, such as a burst of energy and a blast of energy, correct?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_Well, now. They may manifest in different forms, but ultimately they are all generated from the same source of energy that flows around us. The raw power and energy that constantly flows around us is exposing us to a relatively minimal amount of energy radiation, but it still exists, nonetheless. Those that can learn to harness it and control it are considered more powerful than those who can't, but that is not the extent of energy manipulation."_

"_It's not?"_

"_Indeed. The highest level of energy manipulation is not just controlling the energy, but being able to switch the energy from one form to another. I shall now teach you to change your one and only energy attack, to one with much more variety."_

"_You mean Terra Flare? You want me to change it to something else?"_

"_Yes. I seem to recall you telling yourself that your Terra Flare attack was too slow for you to hit Adrien, right?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_Well, now. That is because it is a compressed sphere of energy, and because it stores so much energy it is considerably slower than Adrien's Toxic attack, which he releases in short bursts. Instead of firing a compressed sphere of energy, why not try splitting up the energy you gather into smaller, less powerful versions? They'll be weaker, but faster, and repetition attacks will help."_

"_Split up the energy? I've never thought of that… I suppose I could try it…"_

With the new instructions from the 'voice', and with the frozen time around me, I had all the time in the world to practice this new attack. I took the same stance, preparing the compressed sphere of energy that I would normally gather to launch Terra Flare. Then, instead of tossing the orb like I used to, I punched my hand straight into the energy until my hand was coated with it, and swiped across the air as fast as I could. The intended result was met, the energy was scraped off my hand by the air pressure, and small shots of energy flew across the air at high speeds, impaling and toppling a nearby tree.

"_Well done! I've never seen anyone manipulate one form to another that quickly. From Flare to Blitz, ingenious."_

"_Terra Blitz, huh? Looks like I just gained another weapon in my arsenal."_

I watched as a low hum emanated from all around me, the time spell fading as the paused time slowly returned to normal, and time began to replay.

"Wait a second, how did you get from here to there!?" Adrien exclaimed in disbelief.

"Heh, that doesn't need any explanation. Let's continue. And this time, you'll find something different about me…"

* * *

><p>ExDraco: Well, well, what an amazing turn of events. I wonder who that voice is?<br>Risk: You know you haven't yet joined up the part where Xaleil was gonna tell me and Xavier something, right?  
>ExDraco: Oh, relax; I'll do that in the next chapter.<br>Peleus: Now, allow me to actually explain what the location system's 'Historia' means. Basically, it represents the state of time. Past or present, though, I kinda find it redundant since the future will never be in perspective.  
>ExDraco: Ah ah ah, don't be too sure of yourself. I have some stuff in store… But you'll have to find out in the 'future'.<p>

ExDraco: So, to sign off… Read and Review and thanks for all of your patience. See y'all next time!


	4. Chapter 3: Distant Allies

ExDraco: *sigh*  
>Risk: Why the sigh, X?<br>ExDraco: Oh, nothing serious. It's just that I'm wondering how after this chapter I'll quite literally have almost ZERO OCs left. Ah, well.  
>Risk: Don't get too down. Maybe more OCs will come eventually?<br>ExDraco: Doubtful. Still, might as well wait until the end of the year. That was when I set the deadline.  
>Risk: That's the spirit! Now, mind if we get on with the story?<br>ExDraco: Good idea.

* * *

><p>Fallen Light<p>

Chapter 3: Distant Allies

-?-

**Location: Centrales City, Pylius Protection Army HQ  
>Date: 16<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 10:27 AM<br>Historia: Present**

My eyes stayed closed as lights flashed across my black sight, a wave of red light periodically going across the spiraling darkness that I experienced with my eyelids covering my sight. A low hum accompanied the moving line of red light, and the whirring sounds of the machine that coupled with the comfortable bed that I lay flat and silent on was a fine accompaniment to the original silence in this medical check-up room. I heard the faint sounds of a pencil's graphite tip scratching words onto a piece of paper, writing against a wooden clipboard, a soft carving sound that finalized the array of sounds that echoed through the otherwise dead silent, air-conditioned room.

After a good two minutes, I heard the whirring slow to an eventual stop, the low hum cut off from its pattern and the red light dimming to nothing. It was finally silent again, until I heard the command that would finally end this torturous medical checkup.

"Please get up, Silver."

My eyes fluttered open and my body reawakened from a nearly unconscious state, and my sight silently assessed what I saw hanging above me: an electrical fluorescent lamp the was plastered to the white, newly-painted ceiling, with multiple air-cons positioned around the large medical emergency room, providing absolute comfort to the sick and injured patients here. My arms responded to my mind's commands, shifting back while creating friction against the bed, a shuffling sound emanating from the spots in which they touched. With a little strength, I eased myself up, finding myself staring face to face with the doctor that was assigned with my medical condition.

"Well, nothing seems to be wrong so far," the female doctor mentioned, "all your statistics seem to be in order and your health and body systems seem to be functioning just fine. It seems your hybrid form did absolutely nothing to affect your essential life systems, but we'll have to undergo another two weeks of testing just to be sure. But for now, I think you're ready to go."

"Thank you, doctor." I found myself replying, "So, when will I need to return for my next checkup?"

"The next checkup is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, I hope you enjoy the next four days. I will see you then."

Without another word, I grabbed my locket which I had left on a small white table beside the bed and walked towards the exit, the electronic doors opening upon sensing my presence and closing as I walked away. Outside the dull and drab medical room, I entered a corridor of electronic white walls within the HQ of the glorious PPA and Centrales City. Though I have to admit, the walls were pretty lame too, with nothing but white painted on them and data system-like lines etched into their designs. Really, nothing special.

The PPA's HQ was underground, and the entrance was really a classic, an elevator that spanned fifteen floors, the top floor being the ground floor of the tallest building in Pylius built right smack into the center of Centrales City, with another seventy floors aboveground. Out of the eighty-five floors here, I had only visited one so far in the two months I had been here; it's gonna take a while before I finish exploring the whole place.

I travelled slowly through the white data-like corridors, passing by many humans who lived in the service of the PPA. We were a completely industrialized organization that sought the peace and protection of Pylius, and our current threat was that of Betrayal Force. The PPA was a humongous organization, our networks spanning more than half of the entire world of Pylius and our members reaching numbers of over two hundred thousand.

But, like I said, many 'HUMANS', and for all I knew I was a hybrid, which expectedly elicited many suspicious glances and stares from the people I passed by, to which I simply ignored until my walk ended. I was standing straight in front of another electronic door, and beside it was a keypad lock plastered onto the wall, wires and many other forms of electronics running through the entire system of the HQ. I quickly entered the key code that would unlock the door to my personal room, and the door opened with the door splitting in half before each half disappeared behind the confines of the walls, a whirring sound distinctly being heard.

I entered the room, and the electronic doors immediately closed upon sensing my presence. Originally, my orders were to remain inside of the HQ and undergo a series of tests to determine my physical well being, since I had only recently obtained my hybrid form. I heard that the Brigadier General also possesses a hybrid form, which is the excuse that the Marshal gave me when he told me to undergo my tests; the fact that the Brigadier General, despite his high rank, had to go through the same thing.

If one were to put the entire 'population' of the PPA into a pie chart, us hybrids would probably only take up 0.0001% of the whole lot, and that is a really small percentage. Since the humans here constantly thought of hybrids as abominations, we weren't well liked here. Not even the Brigadier General could avoid some hateful comments from time to time.

_Ah… I'm thinking too deeply into things. I better go and wash up. Maybe it'll help clear my mind._

I stepped into the bathroom that came as part of the room that I was assigned to when I was found to have a hybrid form. For, and I quote, "in case of contamination". The bathroom was almost like a work of art. The same plain white ceiling and ceiling fluorescent light, but tiled with blue ceramic and blue walls. It came equipped with a bathtub and a toilet, which was more than enough for me.

I turned the knob to the showerhead, and the water began gushing out like a waterfall, accompanied by a distinct yet slightly annoying squeaking sound that sounded like rusty metal. Which, of course, was just normality when it came to bathtubs. Once the water had filled up two-thirds of the bathtub, I covered the bathtub in bubble bath soap, and stepped in, throwing my clothes to the ground without a care. I did so love to stay clean.

My hybrid form was a girlish one, which elicited many mocking remarks from the people here at the PPA. A sylveon hybrid that was accompanied with hybrid traits of a pink hue, a normally girlish color. And with that hybrid form also came with the low threshold for dirty places, and my skin would react drastically to dirt or mud, causing it to itch like crazy, and the last time that happened it was like I was burning alive, in a itchy kind of way. That was why I always looked forward to baths or anything that included water. It kept me clean and free of impurities, keeping the itchy feeling away from me.

After twenty minutes of submerging myself in the transparent liquid with a layer of bubbles and soap and as my skin began to wrinkle, I stood, still in the tub and used the water gushing from the showerhead to rinse the remaining soap off. I stepped out, dripping water onto the carpet spread all over the floor, grabbing a towel and drying myself before pulling on a fresh new set of clothes. I threw the towel and the dirty clothes into the nearby laundry bin, to be taken for laundry. I turned to face myself in the mirror, silently assessing my new appearance even though I had seen it for over three months.

My eyes traced over my figure from top to bottom. I scanned over my distinct short, black-pink hair, with M-shaped bangs and blackish sylveon ears and bows, with one on my left ear and the other on my collarbone. Quite contradicting to a sylveon's natural biology, from pink to black, from happiness to darkness, I mused. My eyes moved down a little, my silvery blue irises sparkling in the mirror. My complexion was the most hilarious, some would laugh, a soft pink skin color despite my gender. A slender body type could be seen in the figure that moved around in the glass screen, mimicking my small movements. I wore my everyday outfit, a black T-shirt and a pair of black long pants, coupled with a pair of dark brown army boots. On my right backhand was the PPA's insignia, a majestic eagle with a sphere of energy being carried by its golden wings.

A knock on the door to my room awoke me from my daydream. I quickly walked out of the toilet, approaching the door with my hands reaching for the handle, all the while saying 'Coming, coming!' I twisted the doorknob, and it clicked into place, the door swinging open with a familiar face at the doorway. Think of the figure this way: glasses, well-kempt brownish hair, and a white lab coat. There was only one person in this entire facility that had someone like that.

"Professor! What are you doing here?" I asked the man at the door, curious as to why he would be knocking on my door this early in the morning.

"Good morning, Silver. I trust you had a good night's rest, because I will need to run some tests on your DNA. We just received now information regarding the hybrid serums, and we need a sample of hybrid DNA for the tests. I would take Miles', but I can't seem to find him anywhere."

"Ah, if it will help further your research on the hybrid forms, I'd be glad to do it."

"Great! Please follow me to my lab."

* * *

><p>-3rd Person-<p>

**Location: Centrales City, Pylius Protection Army HQ  
>Date: 16<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 10:53 AM<br>Historia: Present**

Whilst Silver and Professor Cole Salinger headed to the Professor's private laboratory to run the tests on the hybrid DNA and the serums, the hybrid in question and mystery, Miles, had run off to practice one of his many forte abilities: Herbalism.

The jumpluff-hybrid was in the PPA's private greenhouse, where the PPA grew a wide biodiversity of medicinal plants, both rare and common ones. It was one of the places where Miles could feel calm, among the many plants that he had so much experience turning into medicinal remedies and potions. He was rather good in that field of expertise, turning mere leaves into potions that could cure an injury within seconds. Only he, out of the entire PPA, could perform botanical miracles like that.

He walked slowly and calmly through the forested maze of plants, some growing in bushes on beside the stone tiled path, some growing up high in small clay pots that hung from the ceiling and some grew just by themselves in patches, where the rare plants usually grew. His eyes sharply and slowly surveyed the multitude of available herbs and plants, going through the list that he had embedded in his memory. He stopped, picked up a certain herb, before mentally checking it off his list, and continuing on his slow trek.

The same cycle repeated, over and over again for the next few minutes. He would stop at times, only to pick up a certain herb. He did it over and over again until his list was completely checked off, stashing the herbs he had picked from the various places in a little leather bag which was specially designed and made to carry a multitude of herbs. Soon, he reached the end of the tiled path, and at the end was what he saw every time he came here, and yet he still marveled at the sight. Species upon species of rare plants that even he had only read about in picture books and only dreamed of seeing, and now they were all available for his use.

He picked one out of the ground, a small plant with a glowing bulb, and he stashed it along with the rest of his herbs. He spun around, taking the same path in the reverse direction, and the soft whirring of the mechanical doors that separated the greenhouse from the rest of the HQ.

A couple minutes flew by, even though to Miles it felt like a few seconds as he ran through the recipe in his head over and over again, just to make sure nothing would go wrong. He soon reached the privacy of his own personal bedroom, complete with a bed, a bathroom, a chandelier and a worktable. On the worktable was all of his equipment, and things like test tubes and a Bunsen burner along with the rest blended into a blur of apparatus that he usually used to concoct some of the most potent herbal miracles.

Meanwhile, as Miles set to work on his potion with all the herbs he had picked up from the greenhouse, somewhere rather far from here and slightly into the past of the timeline, a battle was about to restart.

**Location: Lyra Woods  
>Date: 14<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 5:24 PM<br>Historia: Past**

The two hybrids stood their ground, staring each other down with eyes as poisonous as venom. Both blood red, with a slit-like iris staring straight into a human-like iris. If looks could kill, both their looks would have long vaporized the entire forest, leaving nothing but devastation and destruction in its wake. Without even moving from their locations, they both raised one hand as energy began to gather in massive amounts in both their palms, dancing around their fingertips.

One was toxic purple, an acidic energy that was fired in liquid form, melting down anything and anyone that touched it. One was forest green, an energy drawn from all of nature, a flexible terra energy that could be manipulated into different forms. The energies surrounded their palms like dancing flames, in their respective colors, but neither was giving the first strike, leaving a miasma of tension hanging in the air, separating the repressed rage that the two hybrids wanted to unleash on each other.

Then finally, one spoke, "Let's finish this quickly, shall we, Adrien?"

"Finally, something we can agree on!" Adrien hastily replied, firing his Toxic attack at Risk as he enunciated the last words.

Risk easily saw the Toxic coming, sidestepping out of the way but amazed at the effect the toxic attack had of the plant life behind him. It melted the bark, then the trunk, until it ate through the entire tree and the remaining collapsed, taking down several trees with it. Adrien took advantage of Risk's temporary distraction and fired another Toxic at him, which Risk dodged easily, then returned by unleashing Terra Flare once more, creating a gigantic explosion that pushed Adrien back with its sheer force.

Adrien charged up another attack, compressing the nearby energy and converting it into the purplish toxic energy, before releasing the purple energy in the same form as Risk's Terra Blitz, multiple Toxic shots instantly vaporized the surrounding trees, with just as many aiming for Risk's life, as he sidestepped and slid on the green grass just to dodge all of them. Mid-slide, a blitz of terra shots came again, which Adrien instantly countered with his Toxic attack.

The smoke cleared once more, with the two hybrids unfazed and completely unharmed. Risk struck first this time, firing a Terra Blitz at Adrien, which he once again countered with Toxic, as thoughts such as 'Why is he continuing this futile attempt to strike me from a long-range?' going through his head. The two energy attacks collided, creating a small bang accompanied by a loud 'BOOM' sound, the force of the collision created a powerful disturbance in the air, causing Adrien's black hair to flutter in the wind. Another plume of smoke came and went, but Risk took advantage of Adrien's temporary blind sight to launch another attack, switching from ranged to melee with a Leaf Blade.

Risk's plan did not go very well. He had the element of surprise, but he underestimated Adrien's abilities. Adrien's keen reflexes kicked in, and he returned Risk's attack with a Leaf Blade of his own, the twin green blades blazing like a torch in the midst of the forest shadow, illuminating the forest in a bright forest green. The sound of steel smashing steel could be heard from the leaf blade attacks clash, an outward force of wind blowing outwards bending nearby trees.

Risk immediately pulled back his attack, before charging again to meet Adrien's leaf blade in battle. Both their bodies moved with the flow, dodging and counterattacking each other at godlike speeds without even pausing to think of battle strategies. Their punches and kicks combined with slashes and swipes blurred together into flashes of sparks and battle sounds, not even the tiniest detail noticeable in the midst of their heated battle.

Finally their melee clash ended with a full-powered attack from both sides, the force of the impact sending them both skidding across the grass back to the ends of the battlefield. Loud panting noises could be heard from both of the exhausted hybrids, completely worn out after the intense battle. And yet, they still went on, tearing at each other's throats once more as they locked in fierce melee combat.

A slash of green flashed across the battlefield, which the grovyle-hybrid dodged by side-stepping, before countering with his very own Leaf Blade attack, with three streaks of green glowing furiously from his leaf blades attempting to slice his adversary in half. Each threw their blows, but none seemed to land a direct hit, and the same pattern went over and over again through the intense action.

Another full-powered clash and the battle came to a temporary standstill once more. They were both worn out, almost unable to continue and on the brink of collapse. The next mistake would decide all of it.

"Terra Blitz!" Risk invoked the attack's name, sending glowing green spheres of energy flying towards his serpentine opponent.

Adrien finally unclipped his ace, Eversio, the explosive-bullet rifle that let no target escape its wrath. Despite the multitude of green energy spheres flying towards him, Adrien remained unfazed, grabbing the Eversio with ease and cocking it in the general direction of Risk's location. Loading what he knew to be the final killer of this battle, he unleashed his finishing attack.

"Vastitas!" Adrien shouted, pressing his finger onto the trigger, unleashing a barrage complete with 120 explosive bullets that bombarded and countered the Terra Blitz, outnumbering the attack with ease and rained upon Risk like a meteor shower, creating a mix of smoke and fire. The smoke, served as a good smokescreen for Risk, as he emerged from the smoke cover shouting, his six leaf blades glowing fiercely amidst the evening shadows, ready to take down his opponent. Adrien, however, had long anticipated that.

"Toxic!" Adrien covered his hand in the purplish energy, and met Risk's Leaf Blade with his own attack. The whole clash happened in an instant, and it wasn't until a good three seconds had passed before Risk began screaming in agony. He had every reason to. The Toxic attack had completely dissolved his leaf blades, the acidic effect of the attack seeping into his blood and striking his nerves, creating a pure explosion of pain as he clutched his leaf blades, squeezing them in a futile attempt to coax the poison out.

"Hmph. You fazed me for a while with that new trick, but in the end the result remained unchanged. You are still no match for me." Adrien said, laughing maniacally in the shadows, standing over his fallen opponent and gloating his victory.

_I… I can't… I can't lose! _Risk's thoughts blasted through his mind.

His emotions gathered, converging and fusing its raw power with Risk's fierce willpower, creating a swirling whirlpool of energy deep within Risk's very being, released into the material world as a black swirling aura. Adrien's expression slowly changed to one of dread, as he stepped back, feeling the pure energy radiating from the black swirling aura that now surrounded Risk's body. Risk's irises turned from blood red to pure night black, as if possession had taken over his body. The swirling aura became even larger, the energy radiation accompanied by a enforcing wind blowing Adrien back much further, even though he was still hanging on and his feet still touching the ground.

Adrien managed to open his eyes for a moment, catching a glimpse of the strange familiar, yet new power that his opponent now grasped. A shadow of a fallen angel appeared like a transparent shell that surrounded Risk's chaotic self, the power he radiated now taking apart trees from afar, the immediate vicinity of nature now completely ruptured by his energy. His body began to rise, levitating in the air and defying the very logic of gravity. The fallen angel shadow began to flap its black wings, and Risk followed its movements, stretching his hand back around his waist as if he was preparing a strike, as if he was wielding a sword. True enough, a shadow of a blade as black as night materialized in his hand, and now the fallen angel shadow began clearer.

Adrien would have gathered more information, if he didn't experience what came next. Risk's body flew up straight into the sky in an instantaneous black flash of energy, with the energy dissipating the moment it reached a certain height in the sky. He raised his blade high above his head, before slowly bringing it down to his shoulder's height. He then mimicked the shadow's movements, swinging his blade back and bringing his free right hand to the front, as darkness energy began to swirl around and collect around his black aura, making it even more menacing and bigger than before.

He then brought the sword down by swinging diagonally down, and in one instant; all the collected darkness energy converged into one point, before the energy dispersed in Adrien's direction. Beams upon blasts of dark energy were fired, and split into even more blasts of energy as they touched the forest canopy, desolating the ground and surrounding nature by bombarding it with impact upon impact of dark energy, with the servine-hybrid no longer able to hold his ground. The force of the blast sent him flying three miles away, far from the immediate vicinity of Lyra Forest. The impact of the blasts created a gigantic meteor-like crater right smack in the middle of Lyra Forest, with no sign of life in that area left standing.

With the attack executed, the dark energy dissipated, and the exhausted grovyle-hybrid began falling from the sky.

* * *

><p>-Serene-<p>

**Location: Skyward Peak: Tri-Room  
>Date: 16<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 11:23 AM<br>Historia: Present**

"So, what shall we do?" I asked the other two consuls.

"Lady Serene, I suggest that we investigate into this 'fallen angel', he could pose a threat to our operations." The Ophanim, Barielm, spoke.

"I agree with Barielm, Lady Serene, it is in the nature of a fallen angel to cast darkness over the light, and the Icarus Resistance is indeed the very embodiment of mortal light. If this fallen angel were to learn how to control and utilize his powers, I'm afraid we would lose many angels in the fight against him. Darkness thrives in fallen wings, and chaos comes with it." The Cherubim, Rizen, spoke.

"Hmm…" I pondered over what to do, the stress of the decision falling upon me. "Perhaps this fallen angel may pose a threat to us, but until he really does, we cannot be certain. Jumping to conclusions have been the destroyer of many relationships and decisive battle many a times, and I will not allow conclusions to destroy the Icarus Resistance."

"Spoken like a true Seraphim, Lady Serene. However, while we are on the topic of this fallen angel, I would like to present some… distressing developments." Barielm said.

"What might that be, Barielm? Allow me to further comprehend the situation."

"Very well, milady." He paused, before shouting a command the reverberated through the room, "You may enter."

The massive doors of the Tri-Room opened slowly, a loud bang preluding its opening. An angel stepped in, with the mark of a 'Dominion', the highest angel rank in the second sphere. He was a mightyena-hybrid, most distinctly noted by the coat of gleaming silver fur that he possessed.

"And who might this be, Barielm?" I asked.

"This is my personal assistant, Aeth. He is a mightyena-hybrid and one of the best Dominions here. I sent him on a recon mission quite some time ago, around the same time you sent Virtue Excius to investigate the fallen Survival Lab. When he returned, the information he had gathered was both alarming and astounding." Barielm explained, before facing Aeth and continuing, "Aeth, I would like you to present your findings to Lady Serene."

"Yes, milord. I will do just that." Aeth replied, showing utmost respect to the Ophanim.

Aeth walked slowly, approaching me with each footstep until he stood right in front of me. From his person, he revealed a leather-bound book that was rugged and torn through age and time. The writing on the cover page was faded, scribbled on with white chalk. It was not a very pretty sight, papers protruded from its pages and the cover page had already begun to tear.

Aeth said as he produced the book and a piece of written parchment, "Lady Serene, this is a book of old I have recovered from my recon mission, and this parchment contains what I believe to be valuable information about this fallen angel. I hope you will carefully look through each page and come to a decision."

"Very well, Aeth. I shall do just that. Barielm, Rizen, we shall adjourn our meeting here. I will carefully consider all the information that is found within these pages, and another meeting will be held in due time to finalize our decision on the matter."

"May you come to a decision soon, Lady Serene," Barielm said.

The meeting was adjourned, and the other two consuls, Barielm and Rizen headed off to who-knows-where. Although I did notice Barielm head off with Aeth and were discussing something in private as they left the meeting room, I wasn't too worried about it. Right now, my mind was focusing on one thing and one thing only, the notes that Aeth had presented to me during the meeting. I grabbed the book and parchment, and headed off into my office, just beside the Tri-Room and accessible by a stairwell that leads downstairs. Once there, I clicked open the door and closed it shut, before lighting the multiple "sunlamps" that I kept down there. The light produced by them illuminated the whole room, and I sat down at my desk, pouring through the leather-bound book.

Page after page, there were faded words and letters and symbols, all inscribed onto the torn and tattered book by some form of writing material. It wasn't anything that could be found in this century anymore, that I knew for sure. The words were faded, but I did manage to make up a few words, most of which didn't make sense until the missing words were put in, and even then it may not have made sense.

After flipping over and over through the pages of the ancient book, I finally gave in to the futility of my abilities. I had never studied anything about ancient languages, and no matter how hard I looked at the symbols I knew I would never be able to decipher them. Tossing the book aside in utter frustration, I calmed myself down and proceeded to look at the parchment. I was also torn and tattered, but it was rolled up quite neatly and tied together by a blue ribbon in a knot.

I untied the knot, unrolling the parchment. The first thing I saw was mere brown colors, no words at all. I was confused at first, but then a convenient puff of air blew from my mouth, blowing off the first layer of dust on the paper and revealing some of the letter hidden under it.

"Hmm, its just layer upon layer of dust covering the words… I suppose I could try that…"

I threw the parchment, unrolled, up into mid-air, before thrusting my hand forward, unleashing a forward blast of wind that sent the dust scattering onto the wall behind it, the remaining winds causing a slight stir in the items that I had in the room. The dust had been completely blown off, and now I could clearly see, words that had been emblazoned onto the paper by black ink of some kind, along with a mysterious insignia that I hadn't seen before. I grabbed the paper, and sat down, carefully studying the words that were on the parchment.

I had no idea what the words meant, it was in a language I understood, but the words seemed to be structured like a riddle or a puzzle, and I was really horrible at these types of things. I could ask Raven, but she was still on a mission as of now, so I surely couldn't ask her even if I wanted to. Still, words are powerful things, and could be used as incantations of some sort. Believing in that type of old saying, I began to recite the supposed incantation that was written on the olden parchment, reading it out loud word-by-word.

"**Seekers of light, divine and pure, may thou holy radiance give birth to the realm of sleep. Beholders of darkness, corrupted and evil, thou eternal shadow shall hold and support thy cataclysm of dreams. May thy energies dance the endless skies, and show thou sacred child spirits of premonitions.**" I spoke the last word, ending what was on the parchment.

At first, there was nothing. Literally, I was hoping that something would happen. Perhaps the parchment would glow, perhaps the world would end, perhaps this whole place would explode, perhaps a sudden explosion of a nearby star would engulf the whole universe, perhaps some sort of dimensional rift would occur and rip the very fabric of time and space to shreds, the possibilities were endless. Expectedly, I was a little disappointed when nothing happened, but it was during that short moment when something happened.

I found myself getting sleepy all of a sudden. My hands became numb, and my fingers willingly dropped the parchment, the torn and tattered piece of paper floating to the ground. My legs became jelly, and I stumbled backwards, with my strength sapped to the point I could barely stand. My eyes began to close, and my vision began to narrow. My head started spinning until I could no longer hold consciousness. I collapsed on the ground, asleep and unconscious. The last thing my eyes could capture was the parchment glowing and disintegrating into dust, before darkness overcame my eyes and took me to the depths of sleep.

* * *

><p>-Miles-<p>

**Location: Centrales City, PPA Headquarters  
>Date: 16<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 11:45 AM<br>Historia: Present**

Burying my fingers into the small porcelain pot of green herbal leaves, I picked up a small handful and hovered my hand over the boiling pot of cyan-colored liquid, before shifting my fingers at a slow pace, the leaves being released from the grip of my fingers and slowly fluttering down into the boiling liquid. With a ladle, I stirred the mixture in a clockwise direction, slowly savoring the minty smell of the herbal concoction. Finally adding in the vial of potion that I had created prior to this pot, a small bang finally occurred, signaling the completion of the remedy, coupled with the bubbling lime green liquid.

I separated the liquid into a total of 40 vials of liquid, before sealing and storing all of them in a small backpack. A first-aid kit, if you will, since these potions were meant to be an all-healing remedy. It was dubbed the Caelyx Potion by the person who came up with the recipe, 'Caelyx' meaning 'heavenly', and the potion's effects were both immediate and miraculous that it just seemed to be a gift from heaven, hence the name.

Once I was done, I grabbed one vial of the liquid and put in the sling bag that I had for gathering herbs, and left the room, hoping to get some fresh air after around an hour of dealing with herbs. Mixing those herbs was something I enjoyed, but too much of it can give one a headache. It was a good idea to get some fresh air every now and then.

That's when the strange thing happened. I walked through the corridors of the lowest basement level, and then I heard a faint voice.

"_Wait…"_

"What?" I said, finding myself to have muttered it out loud, eliciting multiple strange looks from the passing people as I turned left and right trying to determine where the voice came from. Everyone seemed to look normal, with no one trying to prank me or anything like that… Maybe it was Xaleil, or at least that's what I would have said if he hadn't gone on that mission with the BG (Brigadier General). Everyone around me just kept walking, no one looked even remotely weird, and the only strange thing I could see here… was that I was turning and twisting in the middle of the walkway. Then I heard the voice again.

"_Wait… you… can't…"_

"What?" I said a second time, on instinct, getting me nothing more than even more suspicious looks from the general public. I thought I was going nuts. I thought that my dad would say that it was just a hallucination. And that's what I assumed it was. I just kept walking, trying my best to pretend that it was nothing more that what it probably was – a hallucination. I continued blending in with the rest of the crowd, heading to the place where I knew the skyrocketing elevator was. After all, I did say I needed some fresh air.

But luck wasn't on my side, since I didn't even get a chance to get to the elevator before I got another mental 'note' from the mysterious and strange voice.

"Wait!"

The voice shouted this time, and it gave me a minor headache as I stumbled back a bit, knocking into a bunch of people before I regained my balance. My eyes opened wide, as I realized that the voice I was hearing wasn't false at all! It was very and indeed real, and my 'lunacy' was nothing but something my mind came up with to deal with something weird that was happening to me.

_How the heck do I talk to this person?_

"_Why not just try talking in your head? I can sure hear you."_

I got another sense of shock, stumbling back a bit, but making sure not to knock into anyone. That confirmed that I wasn't crazy at all. With panic building in my lungs, I rushed back the way I came, zoomed past my doors, into the room, and slammed the door shut, a whirring sound locking the door in place. I threw my sling bag to the floor, adrenaline pulsing through my blood as I slowly seated myself on my bed, taking deep breaths to calm myself, all the while experiencing the cooling feeling the air-con had on the beads of sweat that had appeared on my forehead.

After I had calmed myself down enough, I closed my eyes and focused, trying to communicate with the voice.

_Hello? Are you there?_

"_Well, it's about time you managed to hear me and NOT panic."_

_Who are you?_

"_No time for that now, I need to explain some things to you, and I need you to do exactly as I say."_

_Alright, but I don't know if I can trust you… My daddy wouldn't be very happy if I snuck off and did something illegal._

"_Hmm… what if I told you that this was to help a friend of yours? Would you listen to me then?"_

_Which friend? I don't have many friends except… Xaleil… Are you saying he's in trouble?!_

"_Exactly. Now you get it. Now, do exactly as I say. Grab your sling bag and stock it up with five vials of the Caelyx Potion."_

I listened to the voice, obliging with his request and grabbing the sling bag that was on the floor, placing four more vials of the lime green liquid inside.

_Alright, now what?_

"_Good, now what I want you to do head to Xaleil's mech lab. Before you do so, prepare for a couple of battles. Remember to grab your Gale Tamers."_

I followed what he said, my mind currently thinking of only Xaleil's safety. I grabbed a new set of clothes, and threw them over myself, replacing my original set of clothes, and grabbed my Gale Tamers, blue iron boots that helped in increasing my attack power. With the sling bag slung over my back, I exited my room as soon as I had entered, and I headed over to Xaleil's mech lab.

Xaleil's specialty lay in mechanics and technology, so he spent most of his time here, creating new weapons and technology to help in the battle against Betrayal Force. I'd seen it a couple of times, but the stuff that was here always left me in awe. Inside the mech lab, I could see lots of mechanical weapons, cannons, and a whole lot of other stuff that blended together.

_Alright, I'm here. Now what?_

"_Now, I want you to look around for anything that looks like a sword's hilt, and grab it."_

I walked around, looking through the multitude of mechanical high-tech items that were kept in this treasure trove. There were a whole lot of weird things, and I could barely tell one apart from the other, but eventually after ten minutes I walked past a wooden cardboard box, and inside I looked. There were a lot of small mech parts that seemed all very high-tech, but once I dug through the items and reached the bottom of the box, I saw a piece of cuboid-shaped item that was sky blue in color, and it sure looked the right size for a sword hilt. The voice confirmed it.

"_Good! That's the one! Now grab it!"_

With a slight hesitation, I eventually brought my hand to grab it from the box of stuff, and I stuffed it inside my sling bag, and prepared to leave while hoping that nobody would find out that I came here. At least, that was my plan, until the door whirred open and my daddy was standing at the doorway, a little shocked to see that I was there.

"Miles. What are you doing here?"

"_Oh, great, you were caught. Ah, well, your dad was supposed to be part of the plan anyways. Now, I know you won't want to lie to your dad, so I'm gonna make it simple for you. Don't. Tell him that you were interested in the piece of metal I just had you take, and ask him what is it. I guarantee you'll be fascinated. Now, I'll be leaving now, just in case something happens. But if the findings from your dad's discovery just happen to be interesting, signal me and I'll explain everything. Good luck._"

The voice then disappeared, like I felt a mental hole suddenly left in my head.

"Miles, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing daddy, I just wanted to ask…" I produced the cuboid sky blue item from my sling bag, before continuing, "what this was. Xaleil once showed it to me, but he didn't have time to tell me about it because he went on that mission with the Brigadier General."

"Oh, that. Well, come with me to my lab, and I'll show you what it is. I think you'll find it interesting."

"I wonder…" I muttered.

* * *

><p>-Peleus-<p>

**Location: ?  
>Date: 16<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: ? PM<br>Historia: Present**

I awoke in a prison cell. The first thing I noticed when I awoke was that not far from where I slept was a wall made out of thirteen steel bars, emanating a faint blue energy and deeply embedded into the ceiling and ground. Then I took notice of where I was currently holed up in, which was a relatively clean and well-kept bed. Other features of the prison cell included a sink and a toilet, which pretty much was all there was in this hole. Then I took notice of myself. I still had all of my clothes on, which was great, since I just had this pair of clothes washed a while back at a forest river. I looked up, taking note of the ceiling lamp that hung above me, casting light and heat over this dull prison cell amidst the thick humidity that loitered in the air.

I managed to put some strength into my aching arms, and push my body up, seated on the bed with aches all over my body. Instinctively I whirled my head twice in a circle, causing my neck to be freed of the aches that plagued it and after awhile my body began to feel better after the long hours of unconsciousness. I felt better, so I got up, twisting my body left and right, stretching the muscles that cracked and ached. Eventually, my little stretching session came to an end, and I was once again able to focus on where I currently was.

Well, sure, it didn't take a genius to realize I probably had been captured by that servine-hybrid, who most probably worked for Betrayal Force, and I was being held captive here, wherever 'here' was. I took another detailed look at the steel bars that held me captive, and noticed some more interesting developments. The bars were… pulsing, lack for a better word. Literally, the bars were glowing with strange insignias that curled up and down the bars like mystical decals that dug into the ground, creating cracks and veins that pulsated with a blue-ish glow dimly.

_Strange… why would prison bars have decals? Brightening up the place seems to be a really lame reason… Ah well, I may as well get out of here._

Converging the surrounding latent energy present in the air, I created three streaks of flame that whirled around in my hand before condensing into a physical form: a blazing fiery whip that glowed brightly in the darkness, illuminating the entire prison cage. I swung the whip in a diagonal swing, the streak of blazing flames striking through the prison bars with a vengeance, creating sparks of flames as it struck.

The bars, despite my original thoughts, stayed unharmed. For some strange reason, the decals just glowed in a wavy sort of way when I struck the bars. Upon seeing that my work did absolutely nothing, I went on frenzy, striking the bars with the flaming whip multiple times at fast speeds, striking over and over again without giving much time for an interval. In spite of all that, the bars remained… unharmed.

_The decals… they must be put in place to protect them from energy attacks. IF ONLY I HAD MY SWORD RIGHT NOW!_

I looked around, looking for anything to use as a weapon to break open the bars, decorated by decals and protected from any means of attack that I had. I was searching through the really gross sides of the dull prison cell, and saw some things I shouldn't have seen which quite literally sent chills up my spine, but I ignored them and continued searching for some sort of raw material to make into some sort of weapon. I kept looking until something rather miraculous happened; a light that shined bright and white appeared out of the corner of my eye, accompanied by a sound that emulated an object being materialized.

Instinctively, I spun my head around to take a look, and what I saw almost made me tear in happiness. It was my silver sword, laying there on the bed I found myself awake on, a faint light revealing it like a piece of precious treasure. I grabbed the sword with newfound hope of escape, and rushed over to the gate that was holding me prisoner. I carefully unsheathed the sword, what little rays of sunshine left shining faintly through the barred window that gave an outside view reflecting off the blade's silvery metal. I threw the sheath to the ground as I held the blade over my shoulder, drawing energy into the blade. I then released it all at once in a diagonal slice which thrust forward at the same time, invoking '**Argent Slice!**'.

The bar collapsed, as I had hoped, and I was quite literally free to go. With the sword still unsheathed, I traced my finger over the blade, feeling the smooth edge of the recently refined blade, before thrusting my free hand forward and bring it down in a diagonal motion, the blade glowing sterling silver as I invoked, '**Awaken, Silver Fenrir!**' A circle of energy swirled in a clockwise rotation in the same dye as the blade, before a small yet bright bang occurred, creating a cloud of mist in its wake. As the mist cleared, the silver wolf that I had come to regard as my partner appeared.

By that time, I had already long overstayed my escape. The alarms suddenly sounded through out the reasonably high-tech prison, red lights flashing like doomsday approaching. The sound of multiple footsteps sounded off from the left and the right, signaling the untimely arrival of the guards that would soon be here to apprehend me. I would, of course, be ready for them. Temporarily absorbing the physical form of Argentum into my blade, I charged up energy in preparation for the swarming soldiers.

It didn't take them long to finally get to the end of the flight of stairs. But by then, it was a tad too late. My preparations were long complete, and I managed to charge a little extra to give the attack a little boost. I heard shouts of 'There he is!' and 'Seize him!', but it didn't matter. They'd all be dead soon. As their bodies soon began to swarm my only possible escape routes, I unleashed my attack. A curtain of silvery energy erupted from the ground and sent energy waves blasting off in all directions as I thrust my sword into the air, invoking '**Argent Incarnate!**', the only points where the energy was kept from annihilating the entire prison was the blue decal prison bars which absorbed and canceled the energy of my attacks.

A smoking husk of fallen bodies littered the corridors of the dull prison, which were lined with prison cells with decals similar to the one I had just broken out of, but were all completely empty. Paying no heed to anything but my escape route, I dashed past all of the fallen Betrayal Force soldiers and made a beeline for the stairs that led to the upper levels, taking two steps at a time at a pace that would bring shame to the speed of light. My escape, however, was brought to a screeching halt when I reached the ground level.

A certain servine-hybrid was waiting for me, the same one that captured me and brought me here.

"Now, what may I ask, are you doing out of your cell?"

* * *

><p>ExDraco: Well, that sums up the chapter.<br>Risk: I've got a bone to pick with you, author!  
>ExDraco: What can I do for you?<br>Risk: What's with that telepathic guy!? HE WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND IN THE SCRIPT OR YOUR LIST OF COLLECTED OCS!  
>ExDraco: Ah… He doesn't exist. Yet…<br>Risk: *stops ranting* Yet?  
>ExDraco: And this is where this link comes in: topic147484/111404323/1/  
>Risk: What's that link do?<br>ExDraco: Not for you to bother about, now get out of here while I talk to the audience.

P.S. For those who still don't mind sending me OCs, the link will take you to a page where I list things about OCs for Fallen Light, and right now I really have a shortage of OCs. Right now, the only thing I have on the page is a request for three OCs, so I hope anyone who still doesn't mind can help. Thanks for the continued support of KrazyKoldKyurem613 and StylishDescent and for all readers' patience! See you next chapter!

P.P.S 28th April Update:  
>I just realised that the link above can't be copied into the search bar, so please go to my profile to check the link to my forum, where you'll be able to submit further OCs according to a slightly different OC form.<p> 


	5. Chapter 4: Origins of Darkness

ExDraco: Succeeding a chapter without Risk, comes a chapter…  
>Xavier: Where Risk dies?<br>Risk: HEY! You trying to jinx me or something?  
>Xavier: I swear I wasn't trying to do that!<br>ExDraco: Cut it out, you two. What I was trying to say was that this would be a very important chapter in revealing a whole lot of Risk's mysteries.  
>Risk: A whole lot, huh? I don't remember that in the plotline.<br>ExDraco: Okay, fine, not a whole lot. Just slightly more than usual. We finally get to meet Nightmare!  
>Xavier: Who the heck is that?<br>ExDraco: No spoilers. You'll have to read to find out!

Fallen Light

Chapter 4: Origins of Darkness

-Risk-

**Location: Skywalker Mountains  
>Date: 17<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 18:16 PM<br>Historia: Present**

It's already been nearly three days since we split from Vernier Forest. Before we left, Xaleil managed to find a way to lock its energy in place, preventing it from teleporting until we returned. He's really good with energy mechanics and machinery. Ever since we've set on the road, he's constantly talked about a 'Brigadier General' of an organization called the PPA. Although I've never heard of them, I suppose that has to do with my being really dumb, especially since I was only introduced into the hybrid society six months ago, in November. We traversed rivers, forests, caves, crevices, but currently we're camping out for the evening and into the night until morning inside a small cave on the side of Skywalker Mountains.

The sun began setting over the horizon and into some dark place where I could only imagine the sun would hide during the darkness of night. But in the meantime, a magnificent flurry of red, orange and yellow dyed the sky, as it shifted from day into night. The evening was the perfect time to have dinner, both calming and cooling, despite the possibly impending danger we would be putting ourselves in. Xavier had already begun munching on his dinner, a readily made dinner that we packed as provisions before we embarked on this journey. Xaleil soon couldn't stand there and watch, following suit as he dug through his own backpack and found his dinner for the night: an egg and ham sandwich coated with a strange mixture of pepper, salt and a mysterious sauce that he wouldn't share with us. Must be too important if he won't share food…

Normally, I'd already be scarfing through my own dinner, but at the moment I just didn't feel like eating. My stomach was growling, and I felt hungrier that I had ever been, having not eaten for almost a day, but my appetite wasn't coming back. I just had that feeling, the one when you feel like eating, yet don't, and I didn't know why. I just felt compelled to stare at the sunset as my body relaxed itself, my calming emotions linking to the forest at the foot of the mountain, creating sparks of terra energy that swirled around us faintly. I just stood there, leaning against the side of the cave wall, the breeze blasting straight into my face and the light soon fading. A daydream, one that I was soon snapped out of.

"Risk! C'mon, you gotta eat if you're gonna fight against Betrayal Force. No hero can fight a good fight on an empty stomach!"

Xavier's voice brought me back to my senses. I turned around, the small calming streaks of terra energy still swirling around, as if coating us in a barrier. Without any cause for alarm, I walked slowly towards the two, still munching off their dinner, and sat down with them, leaning against a small stone as a backrest. Xavier handed me my sandwich, to which I took without hesitation.

"Here! Eat up." Xavier said with enthusiasm, handing me the sandwich wrapped in paper and plastic.

"Uh… alright then, I suppose I am quite hungry." I grabbed the sandwich off the palm of his hands, unwrapping it as I held it in my two hands, before taking the first bite, letting the melted butter, cheese, ham, egg and the distinct spices pepper and salt, explode as a euphoria of taste in my mouth, letting the food melt in my mouth before swallowing, my stomach finally feeling a slight relieving sense.

"Huh… this is great! Who cooked this?"

I heard Xaleil speak up, "I did… the Brigadier General taught me how to cook, and you told me that you liked classic sandwiches with no veggies… so…"

"Don't act so nervous! You're a great cook!" I really meant it that time, the taste of every bite left me longing for more, which cultivated into a pattern that had me scarfing down every piece of the sandwich, which soon ceased to exist. With the food finished, we each took a cup of water that we conveniently found inside a small, naturally formed spring. With our bellies full and our throats quenched, we decided to turn in for bed.

Xaleil and Xavier soon got out their sleeping bags, snuggling into them amidst the cold air that accompanied the arrival of night. In less than ten minutes, the two were sleeping soundly, snoring in their comfortable 'beds' as they drifted off into dreamland, while I drifted off into my thoughts yet again. I would never be able to mention it to either of them, especially Xaleil, since I had just met him three days ago, but the main reason why I felt so unsettled, despite my usual calm and collected-ness out of battle, it was because of that night… that battle with Adrien… the one that questioned my very existence.

**Location: Lyra Woods  
>Date: 14<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 6:01 PM<br>Historia: Past**

I woke up, feeling a severe headache with pain close to that of a serious migraine. My body ached all over, with my muscles and nerves cracking with every inch that I moved. My sight only went so far as to see a blurred image in front of me, matching that of a desolated field, a sight all too familiar to me. Strips of grey-ish smoke rose from the ground and joined the surrounding air composition, making my first movements accompany constant coughing to get the pollutants out of my system.

My memory was foggy, with absolutely no memory after the point where Adrien shot the toxic attack, melting my leaf blades and leaving stumps in their place, with the acidic purple liquid invading my blood painfully, with me trying to coax it out by trying to squeeze on the surrounding skin. The attempt succeeded, but by then I had already worn out all of my capabilities. The last thing I remembered seeing was that of Adrien standing over me, gloating over his victory as I lay on the ground as his fallen opponent. A black light blinded my eyes, and unconsciousness led the battle from there.

Whilst trying to piece together my recollections of my most recent battle, I found the strength in my aching joints to hoist myself off the ground, rubbing my eyes as itch had begin to invade its privacy. Once the rubbing was all done, it was the first long look I got at the battlefield, and it brought back terrible memories of the incident six months ago. Scenes flashed through my mind, Adrien attacking me, then the scene where the lab was utterly obliterated, with the nearby two-mile radius of forest completely eradicated along with it. Smoke rose from the ground exactly the same way as it did back then, with a cold sense of dark energy remnants present in the ground, sending a chill up my spine.

There was no doubt in my mind that it was the same power. Whatever obliterated the lab and the forest back then, was the same thing that was unleashed here today, and it didn't take a genius to realize that it held infinite destructive capabilities. Realizing once again that I possessed this power, with the memories of the consequences of my actions flashing freshly through my mind, fear took over my emotions, and I forced myself to do the only thing that I knew how to do: run.

I bolted from the smoking husk of forgotten nature, the trees, grass and bushes that once stood here and transformed this place into a beautiful mark of nature, had been destroyed by me, in a pathetic instance when I was unable to control my powers. I felt warm tears flow down the side of my cheeks, the liquid instantly becoming cold in the dark atmosphere. I just kept running, without much thought for anything else. I just kept thinking in my mind: How could I have done this again, when I swore not to ever?

The evil atmosphere was soon left behind, from the present it soon shifted to a sight and feeling of the past as the scene changed into the remainder of Lyra Woods, before it changed into many other things as I just kept running, wanting to get far away from that place as I did with the Survival Lab. Bad memories just kept flashing through my mind, no matter what I did I couldn't stop thinking about it… I ran and ran, before post-battle exhaustion began to affect me, and with my eyes beginning to close yet again, I felt myself trip on a small pebble, and landing face-first into the brown dirt amidst the darkness of the night, and unconsciousness took me.

**Location: Xander Village  
>Date: 15<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 4:21 AM<br>Historia: Past**

I awoke yet once again, but this time the scene before my eyes had shifted. Instead of landing in a face full of dirt like I expected, with the memories of my previous night present in my mind, I instead woke up in what looked like a small house. It wasn't anything special or extravagant, rather a low-key house that looked perfect for hiding out, which I assumed was what it was for. It was then I took notice of the soft feeling against my back, a feeling which I hadn't experience in a really long time. I twisted my head to look at what I was lying on, and my sense of touch apparently didn't fail me: I was definitely and truly lying on a soft bed.

It was like a dream come true, a small quaint little house with everything a normal person might've needed, one that reminded me of my former life before I committed myself to staying out of Betrayal Force's claws. Memories once again flashed through my mind, memories that had been locked away in my treasure trove of the past, these particular memories were that of my former life, almost a year and a half ago. I was enjoying the moment, an ecstasy of feeling, covering me in comfort, a dream that was too good to be true. It was all completely broken, as I heard the door outside creak open.

My sharp sense immediately picked up on the sound, and my muscles, having completely rested, snapped into action. I quickly bolted out of the bed, rushing towards the door that separated the living room and the bedroom I was in. I stood just beside the door, awaiting the possible assailant that would enter with a charged sphere of terra energy floating in my palms. A sudden silence filled the air with dense anticipation, with me awaiting the person poking around just on the other side of the door to enter.

The door clicked open. Instinctively, I swung the orb of terra energy towards where the door once stood closed, invoking '**Terra Blitz**' as I planned to blast the guy standing at the doorway to oblivion. The energy connected, blasts of green light flew towards that general direction, and I waited for the sound of explosion. It never came. I opened my eyes, which I had closed upon instinct, and realized with pure dread. My energy blasts were floating in mid-air, kept there floating in between the forward force of the attack and a sort of energy barrier that my supposed 'assailant' had put up in defense. I just stood there, shocked, as he dispelled the barrier and my energy blasts dissipated as he introduced himself.

"Well, your senses are keen and sharp, I'll give you that, and your reflexes are unlike anything I've ever seen. Ah, I've yet to introduce myself, haven't I? My name is Excius Ryuvern."

* * *

><p>-Aeth-<p>

**Location: Esper Forest  
>Date: 16<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 4:23 PM<br>Historia: Past**

"Hah…hah…" I panted, running as fast as I could, bolting through the many obstacles that were presented in a natural forest as I tried to get away from my attackers. Gunshots could be heard, both as shotgun sounds and rapid fire. The flickering sounds of flames reverberated through the thick canopy of trees that covered the sunlight, leaving it in beams of light that filtered through the leaves. I jumped over another trunk; hearing gunshots again and seeing a bullet narrowly miss me and fly past my left ear. The humans that were hot on my tail just came out of nowhere as I headed from Skyward Peak down to my own house, which I called Whispering Cave. I didn't know why they were here to hunt me, or where they came from. After all, there were two different human organizations fighting against the Icarus Resistance – the PPA and Betrayal Force.

_I didn't have time to look at their uniforms… I've gotta find out who they are. Maybe I should fight them and see, but I'll need a battlefield first._

I continued running, thinking in my mind the whole time that I had to lead them into an open field where I could fight without any distractions or obstacles. Between the kill squad and me, fighting in the dense forest both had pros and cons to it. The advantage was that I would be able to jump across the tree ledges so it'd be easy to attack from above, while the disadvantage would be that I had little to no ranged attacks, since my method of battle was primarily melee, and they were all equipped with guns. What a decision.

I jumped over buttress roots, over high natural ledges, until finally I smelled the scent of fresh open air, and I jumped through the intertwining trees into an open field of grass. The sweet scent of nature wafted through the air and past the field that would soon be a battlefield, with my senses savoring the final peace before my assaulters would arrive. Finally, after a while, they emerged from the trees slowly from all directions, surrounding me and cornering me into the center of the field, with all of their assault rifles nocked in my direction, ready to fire at a moment's notice. I wasn't focusing on how fast they could've killed me in that second, rather I was focusing on the badges that they had on their shoulder pads. An eagle with its wings spread out.

_So. It is the PPA, after all. Well then, now that I have their identities, time to eliminate them._

"Freeze, hybrid! Put your hands where we can see them or we'll turn you into a bloody mess of flesh and bones!" The commander of the squad appeared.

"Oh? What makes you think you'll be able to kill me fast enough?" I said with a calming voice that was purposely tuned to make it sound insulting.

"Don't try to make me lose my calm, it won't work, you bastard freak. I have thirty rifles pointed at you from all directions, you may try to dodge it, but I doubt you can escape the onslaught." He paused, before continuing with his futile threat, "So? What will it be? Stand down, or die?"

"Hmm… what an interesting decision… Two decisions that really don't benefit me in anyway… so, how about…" I paused as I slowly raised my hand until it was horizontal to the commander's position, and a dark energy burst appeared in my hand, dissipating to form a physical object; a sword made of a refined infernal metal, black as night. As the blade appeared, I continued, "a third option. I kill you, and walk away. Don't worry, it'll be quick."

"A challenge, eh? Men! Kill him!"

I kept my sword pointed at the commander, with my body facing him as a tense silence surrounded the battlefield, as I awaited the sound of gunfire. Not long after the command, the first gunshot was heard, and after that a rain of bullets came at me from all directions, the guns that fired them from all around me shining amidst the evening sky in bursts of light and fire accompanied by 'bang' sounds. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, cutting of my sight while focusing on the sounds of the gunshots. The noise of the guns that were firing bullet after bullet faded into nothing as the only sounds remained were those of the bullets flying through the air, a near-silent supersonic sound that became louder and louder. As it became loud enough for me to hear without much focus, my eyes flashed open and that is when my counter-attack began.

I threw my sword in the air, and within that split-second I invoked '**Kinetic Stasis!**' I felt telekinetic force compress itself into a barrier that surrounded me, an invisible force field that protected me from the bullets. The shots would hit the barrier, which would then absorb the kinetic force that propelled them forward, causing them to bounce off the barrier. When the soldiers finally realized the barrier made the bullets futile, that is when my sword fell from the sky and into my hands at the perfect moment, and I dashed towards the commander with '**Precision Hunting**', a skill that allowed me to dash at top speeds. I brought my knee upward mid-dash, and the forward force eventually allowed me the satisfaction of smacking the commander in the face with my knee, knocking him back for a second.

As he stumbled back, I swung my sword backwards as I felt energy gather unto its blade. I charged forward, attack ready to unleash, invoking '**Dark Crescentaire!**' as I reached a point just in front of the commander's body. Slashing diagonally downward at first, then upward, left, diagonally right, and a couple of high-speed slashes that blended together into muscle memory and released into the world as darkness-infused crescent-shaped slashes. I finished the attack off by slashing straight through the commander's body, and heard the satisfactory sound of his body splitting into pieces and blood staining the ground.

"So, who wants to be next?" I said, turning around, "Or would you rather be smart people and run along?"

I saw the fear in their eyes, after seeing what I had did to their oh-so-poor commander, but apparently SOMEBODY wanted to be the hero. Out of the crowd of thirty soldiers, I heard one voice cry out in confidence, "Don't lose faith! Our commander would not want us to back down against a hybrid! Fight to the end!" His morale-boosting speech elicited many 'Yeah!' from the crowd, and they began nocking their rifles in my direction once again.

_I suppose, I can't feel guilty. I did give them a chance to escape. At this point, it's kill or be killed. It's too bad that it had to come to this, I really do dislike killing. Not a fan of the sight of blood in any case._

"Very well then. I gave you a chance, but you have just sealed your fate." I said to the crowd.

I closed my eyes, but this time not to sharpen any physical senses, but my mental abilities. I had two main abilities that made me so special within the Icarus Resistance: Telekinesis and Telepathy. With my mind focused on the crowd of soldiers, I invoked '**Mental Scream**', letting out a mental soundwave that caused majority of the soldiers to cry out in pain, grasping their heads as if they had a headache. The effects of Mental Scream did that.

With that, I jumped high into the sky, gathering darkness energy into my blade, before spinning diagonally at high speeds; kinda like a hedgehog or something, but way cooler. The darkness energy peeled off the high-speed-created dark cross that was created from my spinning, as I invoked in my mind '**Dark Brave Cross**', with the dark crosses transforming into cross-shaped blade waves that were sent flying straight through the crowd of targets, slicing them clean through multiple times.

I dropped down from my altitude, twirling my blade around before stashing it within the latent surrounding energies, a habit of mine in the aftermath of a battle. I heard the crowded sounds of splashing liquids and thumping bodies, and I turned around to see pools of blood staining the green grass red, coloring the ground and soil with a red hue, along with thirty slashed through bodies that were either cut into ten or eleven different parts. It was a gruesome scene, one that I was used to, yet was still disgusted by even after all this time.

As the battle ended, I forced myself to tolerate the bloody scene and rummage through the soldiers' bodies, hoping to find some inkling as the why they were chasing me out of the blue. I had stayed under the radar recently, not giving even the Icarus Resistance any reason to suspect me, and yet for some reason I was being targeted. I dug through every pocket and hiding place of each body, including the commander's, but my search had come up empty as to why they attacked me. At least, before I saw a shining symbol on the ground.

It was a two-layered circle, carved into the ground. Inside the circle was a pentacle, a star with five points perfectly carved along with the circle. In the middle of the star was a symbol, a circle with a diamond in its center, surrounded by pointed triangle that pointed outwards, sort of like a star, a symbol I had never seen before. Then, out of the five points on the pentacle, orbs of light appeared bearing the same symbol carved onto the ground rose to my eye level and I felt my blade materialize in my hands, with the blade glowing slightly brighter energy more than usual, changing from the usual black to light grey.

Then it happened, the blade flew out of my hands forcibly and into the center of the circle, floating at the same level as the orbs of light as if held by telekinetic force. The blade then transformed into an orb of light, transferring its energy to the other five. The energy then burst in a bright explosion of light, causing me to close my eyes out of instinct and put my arms over my eyes protectively. The light soon dimmed through the sliver of sight I had left, and I saw my blade floating in front of me as I floated in a place I had never been before. Swirling whirlpools of light surrounded the area, covering everything as far as the eye could see.

The five orbs now joined into one, the symbol now blazing brighter than ever.

_Let's see, what do I have to do now…. Think… Symbols are often used as cover-ups for… Writings? Doors? Maybe… Keys? Of course! The symbol is a lock, and for every lock… there's a key!_

The symbol now was emblazoned onto the cross-guard of my blade, and the thoughts in my mind slowly clicked into place, solving the puzzle presented before me. I grabbed my blade without a moment's hesitation, and wielded it with two hands, pointing the blade's tip at the glowing orb from diagonally above. The symbol on the orb and on my blade glowed brighter, and I infused energy from my body, whatever I could produce, into my blade.

_No more worries… no more fear…. Let the dawn shine through chaos, and project that energy…_

A beam of red light blasted from the tip of my blade, with a helix of darkness surrounding it as it struck the orb of light, and it shined brighter, blinding my eyes into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>-Risk-<p>

**Location: ?  
>Date: 17<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: ?<br>Historia: Dreams**

I awoke, my eyes opening and immediately taking notice of the surrounding area. Without much effort, I heaved myself off the cold, stone floor and stood straight, leaning on a nearby wall for support. It wasn't for long, since I strangely didn't find myself feeling the least bit tired at all. I scanned the area slowly, moving my eyes from left to right, taking notice of all the small and little details so I could find out where I was. I had never been anywhere out of forests, caves and I spent most of my time in Vernier Forest and raiding Betrayal Force labs, so a stone-made place was rather new to me. The structure looked ancient and ready to collapse at any moment, with cracks lining the walls and the ceiling, the chandeliers that hung over me and the candles hooked to the walls providing the only sources of light in the room.

There wasn't much to note in this room, except that the most distinct feature of it was that there was a spiked metal gate that seemed to lock me in the room, cutting off my only route of escape from here. Then I realized, when I finally noticed that the thing I was lying on just a few moments ago was a bed that was held to the wall by two metal chains, that this room was nothing more that a prison. Upon realizing that, I panicked for a short moment, before I managed to calm myself down, focusing my efforts of finding a way out of this place. My first instinct: I fired a Terra Blitz at the metal gate. It failed miserably.

I thrust my hand forward, hoping to blast the hell out of the metal gate, but when I tried to project the forest green energy from my palms, nothing came. I felt like a total idiot, standing there, hoping to blast the gate, and from my palms come… nothing. Then I started to panic, looking around and all over my person to find out if something was restricting the use of my abilities. But what I found was so much more than that. I turned around while I was searching through a dark corner of the prison cell, and I heard a voice. It said, "Get up."

I turned my body around, and I saw two cell guards standing just beyond the metal gate, staring into the cell as if to burn it with their eyes. At first, I assumed they were talking to me, since their sight seemed to be focused on me, so I got up from my crouching position. They didn't say anything after that, but then I heard a creaking noise coming from the metal-chained bed. Seated on the bed was a prisoner, someone in here besides me, someone that I hadn't noticed before.

_Strange… He wasn't there just now… Who is he?_

"I said get up, Altair!"

The name shocked me. It was obvious at this point that the guards were referring to the prisoner in front of me, but to think that he had the same name as me… and yet his figure and appearance was nothing but strange to me. I had never seen him before; much less know that he was somehow related to me. He got up, complying with the guards' commands, and he was about to walk towards the gates when something even stranger happened. His body passed through mine, as if I wasn't really there, like I was a ghost. The gates opened for him, as the guard took him by the arms and dragged him off. Meanwhile, I was standing there, shocked out of my senses.

_Am I… a ghost? No, that can't be. This has to be a dream. That's the only other explanation other than death. Wait, what am I standing here for? I have to chase after him for answers!_

I snapped out of my thoughts, immediately running out of the opened gates and dashing past the walls made of stone. The corridor seemed completely empty save for it being lined with cells on both sides of the walls that alternated with candles that hung onto the walls. The only sounds that reverberated through the area were the distant spectral sounds of my footsteps, and the faraway sounds of metal clanking and clinking, most likely the metal armor of the guards that took away the prisoner that they called 'Altair'.

I picked up the pace, following the sounds of the distant footsteps through the twisted maze of corridors, most likely built to slow down the potential escapes of prisoners. The only sounds that lead me in the right directions were the sounds of the metallic clanks of armored boots on the stone floor, and after around five minutes of chasing I finally managed to find out where those two guards were taking him. An execution block.

The two guards escorted him onto an elevated wooden platform, with another level of platform with a semi-circular groove carved into it, most probably where his head would be in about five seconds. They forced the guy down onto the groove, chaining his arms with a metal cuff that was chained to a heavy iron ball, something that someone of his stature could never hope to carry. Then, a muscular guy wearing iron chain armor, wielding a gigantic steel scythe, walked onto the platform, standing at the side of the guy's head. Just as the muscular guy prepared to execute the poor soul, a man wearing a robe approached him.

"Do you have any last words?" He said.

And surprisingly, the guy named 'Altair' said, "Execute me if you will, but Fallen Light will live on. You will never be able to stop my kind from hunting you down. The Altairs have been wielders of the Angelic Three since the beginning of time. You may kill me, but my descendants will rise up to fight once more. Killing me will stop nothing."

"Empty threats will do you no good. Kill him."

The muscular guy raised his scythe, pausing there for a moment as the crowd watching the execution began to cheer in loud bursts of words like 'Kill him!' and 'Make him suffer!' The shouts from the crowd only seemed to aggravate and encourage the situation. This was the moment my emotions burst. I started running as fast as I could, in a futile attempt to stop the event. What I forgot was that in dreams, I couldn't touch anything; I was quite literally a ghost, but it didn't matter. Even if I wasn't dreaming, I was too late anyway. The axe came down on the guy's head, and he was decapitated right there.

Blood spilled out of his neck like a flowing waterfall, staining the ground and his decapitated head blood red. It was the most gruesome scene I had seen, with his decapitated head rolling around on the red stone ground, with his eyes and the whole head covered in blood. I couldn't help but freeze in pure shock at the scene, as I watched the whole crowd continue cheering as the executioner let the guards clear up the body and head, and the janitors mopped up the blood. As for me, I stood there, without being able to move an inch, until my body collapsed by itself, and the scene shifted.

* * *

><p><strong>Location: ?<br>Time: ?  
>Historia: Dreams<strong>

This time, the place I woke up in was wholly different from the stone-made medieval-based tower from before. This sorta looked… holy. I opened my eyes without much tiredness, since it was a forceful collapse that led me to a supposedly short nap that had the scene change. I got to my feet quickly, my body still as active as before, and I quickly took a scan of the area. There were statues of angels everywhere, and there were rows upon rows of benches, facing a really large organ, which is to say, a piano, and there was a skylight that shone down a ray of light from above onto the seat just in front of the majestic piano.

_Is this… a church? What a strange place to wake up in._

I continued looking around, only to find no one but myself in the church. The light shining in from the skylight reflected off the ground and around the church, since the whole place seemed to be made entirely out of pure, shining gold. I was amazed at the sight, a far more brightened up and holy place than anything I had ever seen. Even Vernier Forest could only compare to this as a close second. The air here reminded me of the forest and nature, fresh air despite the enclosed area. I enjoyed it for a short while, until my mind snapped back into reality and I began asking the real question.

_Why am I here? The reason I woke up in that stone tower was obviously because of that guy who got executed… but there's no one here. There doesn't seem to be any purpose for me to be here. Hmm…_

"No purpose, huh? Well, maybe my presence helps to prove that theory wrong?" A voice suddenly broke into my thoughts, answering the question in my head, temporarily stunning me.

I turned around in surprise, only to see a boy around my age sitting at the organ, and he looked like he was about to begin playing. My thoughts proved to be right when he put his skilled fingers on the keys of the piano, and they began moving at a speed that seemed to rival mine in battle, only this speed was meant to create something beautiful: music that soothed the heart. I imagined imaginary notes flying through the air, music scores appearing along with them as the music filled the room, the lovely sound of the piano appealing to my sense of hearing. And as the boy played the piano, he turned to face me, speaking to me while keeping his fingers on the piano, as if he memorized this song so well that he didn't need to watch his fingers to play it.

"Well? Answer me. Does my presence count as a reason for you to be here?" He asked.

"Unh…? Well… I don't quite know. Who are you, anyway?"

"I suppose, introductions are in order, huh?" He paused, turning to face the organ again, playing at a higher speed in tune with the song, increasing the song's tempo, and with his back facing me he continued, "My name is Nightmare, but you might know me as 'Fallen Light'."

"Fallen… Light…? Don't tell me…?"

"That's right, Risk. You really are perceptive. I am the fallen angel that rests dormant inside you. In fact, this church really is just a figment of your imagination that I manipulated into physical form inside your heart. Just something for me to stay in until you figure out how to use my powers."

"So… every time I saw that devastation…"

"That was I. Well, partially me. After all, my powers lay dormant while locked here in your heart, so every time you unleashed my powers, it really was just your emotions pushed to an extreme level that you accidentally unlocked it for a moment and tapped into my powers. My abilities and your emotions reach a state called 'Sync' during that moment, and you are then able to use my powers and unleash my energy. But, you aren't able to fully control it yet, that's why you always end up creating an outburst of dark energy."

"So… every time, it was you. This answers a lot, but why reveal yourself to me now?"

He then got off the seat, and I saw a spark of dark energy leave the tips of his fingers, creating shadow shaped that continued to play the music that served as the background music for our conversation.

"Because. This is the optimal time for us to meet. Any sooner is too soon, and any later would be too late."

"Why?" I questioned, still puzzled by this whole thing.

"You'll know why, soon enough. All I can tell you for now, is that the time for you to rise and fight will come soon. Now, I believe you've been dreaming enough."

"What…? Dreaming enough?"

"Oh, I simply meant, that your friends are going to need your help in the waking world. The next time we meet, you'll have the answer to your question yourself. And then, you can tell me. Until then, farewell, young Altair."

He blasted my body with a shot of darkness, and blinded my eyes. I felt my body vanishing from the dreaming world, and consciousness found me again.

**Location: Skywalker Mountains  
>Date: 17<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 22:05 PM<br>Historia: Present**

I awoke, my eyes fluttering open to the distant sounds of explosions. Xaleil was shaking me awake while Xavier was packing up our supplies.

"Ah, Risk! You're finally awake! Hurry, we've gotta scram!"

I woke my body up, realizing the severity of the situation in his voice, and got up as quickly as possible. Xavier tossed me and Xaleil our share of the supplies, each in one duffel bag, and Xavier led us out of the cave, panicking and saying, "Let's go! This way!" We followed his lead out of the cave, as blasts of energy soared over our heads, blasting the sides of the mountain and rocks came crashing down on us as landslides, with us barely dodging them.

Gunshots could be loudly heard over the sounds of helicopters hovering over us. Bright searchlights from the helicopters in the air shone down on our silhouettes, the spinning blades of the transportation creating wind gusts that did nothing but impede our escape. Hybrids that were on the Betrayal Force's side came charging up the mountainside, or abseiling down from the helicopters, which were probably here to capture us. I highly doubted they were here for a pleasant hello.

"Xaleil, Xavier, you guys run for it! There's a path down the mountain on the reverse side! Get down there! I'll hold them off for as long as I can!" I shouted over the helicopter's noise.

"No way! We're staying here! If you won't let us fight, then at least let us fight on supporting you!" Xavier countered.

"…Alright then. Xavier, you support me with your abilities. Xaleil, hope you can find someway to escape! We'll hold them off for as long as you need. Let's go, Xavier!"

As me and Xavier rushed to face the incoming hybrid raid, I heard Xaleil say, "Alright. You can count on me. Don't worry."

With a new lease of energy, I stood down the hybrids, preparing my attacks as my leaf blades glowed with a blazing bright green light that emulated the color of the green forests. I heard a loud freezing hum from behind me, followed by glowing white light mixed in with a blue hue, a signal that Xavier was ready to show what he had. The first hybrid appeared, a Scyther-hybrid with his twin scythes ready for carnage. I smirked, telling myself in my mind that he'd be an easy first win. He charged without thinking with his scythes raised high in the air, glowing bright red as he prepared to incapacitate me.

He slashed downwards, and I sidestepped, causing the force of his attack to make him stumble for a moment, which was just enough time for me to use my leaf blades and slash through the side of his abdominal area, sending him crashing into the mountainside; the first of many to fall. Then, following his defeat, multiple hybrids appeared on the scene, including fire and ice types, too many for me to even bother figuring what pokemon they'd been crossed with. All I thought of was defeating them.

I charged the hybrid brigade, and they reacted as I expected, splitting into two groups that was wise with their sheer numbers. One group charged to face me, while the other stood behind them to act as supporting members, kinda like how Xavier and I were fighting. I charged a fire-type hybrid, slashing through his chest with my leaf blades and sending him flying, which knocked down two of his comrades. Another fire-type, most probably an Arcanine-hybrid, who tried to bite me with flaming fangs, who met his untimely end at Xavier's hands. He pounced on me from behind, but got quickly knocked away by Xavier's **Freeze Frame** attack, sending bolts of ice to shock him and cover him in a block of ice.

I saw Xavier smirk out of the corner of my eye, and I nodded, facing our enemies again with my leaf blades prepared. I charged again, this time with the knowledge that Xavier truly was supporting me from behind. I sliced through another fire-type, and did a skyward uppercut to two fire-types who were shocked by the same attack. I fought on, slicing one, and slashing another, with the occasional **Freeze Frame **and **Wave Cutter** attacks aiding me in my battles, the latter being crescent-shaped waves of ice energy that pretty much added a knockback plus ice bang effect.

As I fought on, I got careless a couple times and had a few cuts landed on me by those with claws and fangs, and the occasional frostbite and burn effect landed on me by the supporting ice types and the aggressive fire-types. Those injuries were all countered well by Xavier, as he interchangeably switched between his ranged ice abilities with his **Miracle Cure**, which healed my injuries rather well. With a constant healing effect placed on me, I didn't worry about getting hit and focused on battling. The supporting ice-types were a great disadvantage to me, since they outnumbered me greatly and the fire-types created a wall that prevented me from getting to them, so I had to switch tactics.

I slashed through three fire-types, firing a **Terra Blitz** in the opening I created, taking out a number of ice-types right there. I somersaulted back from beyond enemy lines, rotating my body around and firing consecutive **Terra Blitz** from my palms to take out multiple fire-types. I eventually landed on my feet, with my hands crossed in front of me, my leaf blades still blazing bright green as I prepared myself to continue fighting.

"Xaleil! How's the escape plan coming along? Xavier and I can't fight forever!"

"Just a little while longer… two minutes. Buy me two more minutes."

"Two minutes… gotcha. Let's finish them, Xavier!"

"Got it! What do you need me to do?"

"When I give the signal, use Ice Barrier."

"Are you crazy? Ice Barrier creates a barrier of ice around the caster, not on a target."

"I'm sure you'll be able to project the energy at me. After all, I did learn how to manipulate my Terra Flare into Terra Blitz, I'm sure you can do it."

"Well… I can try, but what if it fails?"

"It won't. Trust me."

With that, I charged once more, intent on finishing this battle once and for all. I slashed through the enemy ranks with one clean slice, then began taking out the ones and the far side, eventually reaching my goal of gathering all the enemies at one place, pushing the fire-types all the way back so that they were in range along with the supporting ice-types. I did one more slice, then back stepped while using **Terra Blitz** as a propelling force, while taking out a number of fire-types, whom had resorted to using their bodies as a shield for the ice-types.

With my plan working perfectly, I stopped mid-dash and jumped upwards, gathering energy into the palms of my hand, blazing green energy that I compressed into a small sphere, as I prepared my devastating attack that would end all of this. Just as expected, it was at that moment which the ice-types launched their multitude of ice-based attacks at me, since it was the most strategic option. I was defenseless, aerial and an easy target, or so they thought.

"Now, Xavier!" I shouted, still gathering the nature energy, unfazed by the incoming blasts of blue ice energy.

"May these blasts of ice shield those dear to me… **Ice Barrier!**" I heard him chant.

I watched as blasts of ice energy flew through the air and struck me, condensing around me into thick blocks of ice into a spherical shape, which evidently acted as a shield, blocking and deflecting all the ice attacks that would have frozen and killed me in mid-air. With the temporary confusion caused by the Ice Barrier ability, I took the opportunity to finish gathering the energy needed for my attack, and as the Ice Barrier disintegrated, I unleashed my finishing strike.

"Cower before the wrath of the forests. **Terra Flare.**"

The sphere of energy flew at top speeds towards the crowd of enemy hybrids, and the sphere exploded, creating a massive energy field of green, desecrating any life that existed within the area. I landed on my feet, witnessing with my eyes the destruction that this attack wrought, the force of the attack creating gusts of air that blew outward in all directions, the light blinding everyone nearby, even the pilots of the helicopter. The light soon died down, and the helicopter retreated after witnessing the futility of their situation.

The situation didn't get better for us, either. As one helicopter retreated, three more appeared in the sky, shining their searchlights down on us, most likely preparing another onslaught that would eventually exhaust us. Luckily for us, Xaleil finally shouted the words that we had been waiting for this whole time.

"I'm ready! Let's run!"

We rushed to his side as he put his hands on our shoulders, and I felt electricity crackle through the air. My body soon erupted in a tingling feeling, as if it were being converted to electricity itself, and I saw Xaleil's and Xavier's bodies undergoing the same treatment. Xaleil invoked, "**Spark!**" and our bodies completed the transformations into electrical bolts, as we travelled as one bolt of electricity as groundbreaking speeds down the mountainside and into the depths of the forest. We travelled so fast and so far that we eventually outran the squads sent to eliminate us, and Xaleil gathered so much electricity that the Spark ability lasted all the way beyond the forest and the plains after, until we reached the next town.

Our bodies tripped on the ground after travelling so fast in an instant, and my fingers soon reconfigured themselves from electricity back to my own body. Xavier and Xaleil had already recovered, and within a couple of seconds, so had I. It was still in the middle of the night, so Xaleil suggested we get some rest wherever we could find, and we eventually came to seek temporary refuge for the night in a place where no one would ever find, somewhere hidden behind so much thick vegetation that it seemed impossible to be near a village. But instead of worrying, we instead collapsed on whatever soft ground we could find, and continued into sleep.

Unlike the other two, who slept within seconds, I could barely help to close my eyes again. I spent the night on watch, in case we were going to be under attack again, as I let my mind drift off, thinking about the meeting with 'Nightmare' in my dreams. 'The next time we meet, you'll have the answer to your question yourself.' He said. I wonder what he meant?

* * *

><p>ExDraco: And… I'll leave it off there. Well, this seemed to be a slightly more interesting chapter than usual.<br>Risk: Yeah… well, I don't gain any new abilities yet, right? When do I get them, huh?  
>ExDraco: Be patient. Maybe around chapter 7 or 8, maybe it'll stretch to 9. I haven't planned it all out yet.<br>Risk: Fine… but I remembered you had something to mention, so I'll leave now.  
>ExDraco: Great. Now for the extra note.<p>

For all readers, I just updated the OC form without telling you all, so I apologize for that, but the updated OC form is in my forums, which you can find the link to on my profile. All the details are there. I didn't tweak the OC forms too much, just a couple parts here and there, so I hope you guys won't mind sending in updated parts of your OCs.

R&R, and hope you guys enjoy this coming June!


	6. Chapter 5: Divide and Conquer

Risk: Does anyone know where X is? I've been looking for him lately, and I haven't see him at all…  
>Peleus: Oh, he's busy working on that third fanfic. He just barely managed to completely this chapter.<br>Serene: Look on the bright side, you two. At least he completed it before August ended, like he said he would.  
>Peleus: Nothing bright about it. He procrastinated the chapter for more than two months, not to mention he posted this on the LAST DAY OF AUGUST!<br>Risk: We really shouldn't be wasting the readers' time bantering like this, if you get what I mean.  
>Peleus: I do, this chapter, though late, has some interesting stuff present in it.<br>Serene: Well, it's the start of where the action really begins, so that's a plus point, I suppose?  
>Risk: Just shush and let the readers read it, that's what they're here for.<p>

* * *

><p>Fallen Light<p>

Chapter 5: Divide and Conquer

-Adrien-

**Location: Betrayal Lab X13  
>Date: 18<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 10:19 AM<br>Historia: Present**

"How is he, professor?"

Beside me was the head professor, the best mind we had here at Betrayal Force, Professor Eritias. He was quite the old man, with his white hair and aging features which included countless freckles and wrinkles across his body, and the way he always seemed to be bent over slightly like a hunchback, I assumed he was around his late 70s, but even with his age and deteriorating body condition he still worked harder than some of the younger scientists here, and was still the best in science here. His position as head scientist despite his age was commendable, even to the point of surpassing my ranking.

In front of the both of us, was a vat filled with breathing liquid so the 'test subject' wouldn't drown. He was hooked up to multiple wires that interchanged between drawing blood samples from him and injecting certain medications that I didn't even know how to pronounce. The whole project was dubbed Project Altair, and just like the name of the project, the test subject we were studying now was the hybrid I had captured a couple of days ago. He was a Charmeleon-Hybrid with astounding mastery over the element of fire and the silver wolf, Argentum. Peleus Altair.

"His vitals are still staying quite normal, in fact. There have been spikes of emotional energy and occasional blood pressure spikes, but as of now they have all been countered and normalized, leaving his condition at a perfect level. As of now we are analyzing his mastery of fire and how it fits in with that runic tablet you had uncovered a couple of weeks back."

I instantly remembered that stone tablet. I had found it in some ancient ruins that Sir Zero had me investigate. Something about 'angelic energy traces' that he seemed quite surprised to have discovered the readings. It didn't take him long to send me, his best agent, to the ruins to see what was there that gave him the strange readings. I saw the readings myself, but truthfully I barely understood a fraction of the data presented. The data presented on those electronics is all but alien to me, but I did understand something about 'Light'.

Whilst investigating the interior of those ruins, I somehow triggered a ancient switch or revolving door, because after tumbling through what seemed like a mine shaft, I awoke in a dark room with absolutely nothing except the dim light of the torch I had brought to provide illumination. Searching around the room eventually led me to the tablet which had been wedged into the side of the wall, and after pulling it out I tried a futile attempt to read it, after which I sent it back to the lab for analysis.

Ever since, it had been worked on by our best translators and even Professor Eritias tried his best to decipher it, but so far it stayed a piece of stone with runic alphabets carved into it, just holding mysteries that wouldn't be deciphered so soon. The only words that could be deciphered from it were the runes for 'Fire' and 'Light'. Due to this, we had to analyze the most prominent adept user of fire at the time, which was Peleus Altair, a six-month-old hybrid who had long mastered the usage of fire. What they were analyzing him for, I had no clue, but sometimes I tried to wonder what he was being tested for.

A ringing sound accompanied by a vibration in my left pocket broke into my thoughts, the distinct signal of a cell phone ringing. I fished it out of my pocket and put it up to my ear, and the familiar voice of Sir Zero came through the phone.

"Adrien. If you are not too busy, I would like you to return to HQ immediately and meet me in my chambers. I will be there waiting for you in twenty minutes." The phone clicked on the other end and the line went dead, leaving me with a set of instructions that I would only be too happy to follow.

I turned to the professor, and said, "Professor Eritias, please keep me posted on the analysis. I shall be taking my leave now, Sir Zero is looking for me."

"Glad to do it, Adrien. Now, I suggest you quicken your pace, Zero is not a patient guy."

I nodded my head before taking my leave of the old professor, stepping out of the room and walking along the corridor whilst passing by multiple rooms. The one I was looking for, however, was the one three rooms to the left of the one I was just in. I stepped in, punched in the codes that I needed, and felt a glowing energy surround my body as it began splitting into millions of particles, ready to be transported back to HQ.

**Location: Betrayal Force- HQ  
>Time: 10:25 AM<strong>

I opened my eyes as my body reconstructed itself from the tiny particles that the spatial transporter had transformed my body into. As my hands became solid form again, I stepped out of the transporter, my eyes once again setting sight on the HQ that I had very few chances to visit. Sir Zero constantly had me on various tasks and missions that I rarely had a chance to take a break. And even though I was at a high enough rank to visit the HQ whenever I liked, I barely had time to do it. I walked through the corridors, passing by various scientists that were supposedly working on a new project, something that I couldn't be bothered to find out about. I overheard it had something to do with a deadly weapon, but really, we already have a wide arsenal of deadly weapons, I felt far too apathetic to care about the details.

Soon enough, my long and boring walk ended in front of Sir Zero's chambers, or at least, the door to it. I'd always complained about this ridiculously long corridor and how it would be way better to shorten it so I wouldn't have to walk so long when Sir Zero called me, but he said it was a strategic thing, something I didn't have any care for. Strategy and planning was Sir Zero's specialty, along with a wide array devastating abilities that I hadn't had the privilege to view and witness. I knocked on the door, and with a firm 'Come in' from Sir Zero, I slowly opened the door, a slight creaking noise coming from it, and I saw Sir Zero seated at his desk, poring over what seemed to be an ancient text, evident from the obvious tattered papers.

"Sir Zero, you summoned me?" I bowed my head and kneeled before him in respect as I asked.

"Yes, Adrien. Thank you for coming so quickly."

I rose to my feet before continuing my words, "Might I ask the reason why you have called me here? There doesn't seem to be any immediate threat from the escaped hybrids, and the Icarus Resistance as well as the Pylius Protection Army has failed to locate our three main bases. There doesn't seem to be a situation as of now."

"Yes, there is no immediate danger to our operations as of now. However, I have been reading and studying the contents of the ancient text that was found during our excavation of Ferial Mines, and it seemed to depict something, but I unfortunately can't read it. It is coded into strange symbols. I faintly remember you telling me that you have some knowledge over symbolic texts?"

"Indeed, I did. However, it is only basic knowledge that I picked up on my travels before joining the Betrayal Force. The Servine that trained me in the art of survival taught several symbols to me. Perhaps you would like me to take a gander at the text to see if I recognize anything?"

"Yes, please do." Sir Zero replied, stretching his hand out with the scrolled text in his palms. I walked over and took it from his hands, opening the scroll and began reading the symbols. With my basic knowledge, I couldn't read the whole thing, but I did manage to decipher some symbols.

"Sir Zero, unfortunately I am unable to translate the whole thing, however… I managed to understand three symbols."

"Yes? Please, do tell."

"This symbol in the second sentence means 'Year', which probably relates to a certain date. The next symbol comes in the fifth sentence, meaning 'Fate', which obviously depicts a future, or prophecy of some sort. The last symbol comes in the last sentence, meaning two words: 'Shadowed Light'. It is a compound symbol, therefore it symbolizes more than one word."

"Ah, I see. How intriguing. Might I ask you to tell me what language is this written in?"

"This language is most like Ancient Leverian, the language used in the Dawn Age. It was a very ancient language that most of the current generations are unable to interpret."

"I see. Then, I task you with your next mission," Sir Zero said, standing up as he talked before continuing, "I want you to find a way to fully translate this text. Bring the results to me at your own convenience."

"Yes, sir. I shall now take my leave." I bowed to him, before exiting the room.

* * *

><p>-Raven-<p>

**Location: Twlight Forest  
>Date: 18<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 1:19 PM<br>Historia: Present**

_Tch. How irritating. I hope Aeth is doing better._

I continued running, traversing the forest as if it were my home. Technically, it used to be before I met Mistress Serene, but not that much any more. And besides, getting hunted by Betrayal Force soldiers whilst having the risk of tripping over tree trunks and tiny pebbles hidden among the blades of grass was NOT the best way to enjoy a visit to the forest.

Another stream of bullets flew past me, several hitting the trees in front of me, doing little damage, whilst some I had to narrowly dodge; their aim was getting better as they chased me, or was I just getting tired? I quickly turned around as I leaped off a large stone, aiming at the few soldiers that I could see and taking them down with **Piercing Fang**, a quick arrow strike that had enough force to pierce through the couple unlucky soldiers. With that, I turned tail and continued fleeing.

_Honestly, if Aeth had caused enough of a stir to interrupt their operations, I doubt they would have time to be chasing me now! I am so going to kill him when I find him._

I ran through the dense forest, leaping over large stones and passing tall trees, all while hearing the distinct sounds of gunfire throughout the forested land. But, as much as I wanted to continue running without engaging them too much, I began to grow weary of this chase, both tired and bored, since they would never catch up to me. Fatigued pants elicited from my breath, and my legs had already begun to feel a burning sensation. I couldn't run much longer; I had terrible stamina compared to Aeth.

A plan formed in my head, stemmed from this desperation, as I used both my dragonite wings to slice the trees in front of me with Wing Edge, creating a temporary confusion in the ranks of the enemy as I jumped down onto the main path of Twilight Forest, a path usually used by travelling merchants of the past. I five arrows into the ground at once, all of them imbued with my dragon-type energy. I continued running, hoping to find a place where I could lure them to and still be able to fight with an advantage.

A smirk formed on my face when I heard the explosions of dragon energy go off in the forest, a sign that the arrows had taken effect, and the screams of pain elicited from the far-off soldiers made it obvious that it had taken out quite the number of them, even with a bulk of the group still chasing me. I soon reached the place of my salvation, a small 'field' of some sort, surrounded by trees and bushes where I could easily hide myself. With that, I shot ten arrows into the ground, which were quickly absorbed into the ground as focal points of energy, the only signs of them existing were the faint purple glows just after they vanished.

Upon hearing footsteps, I rushed to hide myself in the nearby bushes, slowly making my way to the top of the tree to my immediate left as the soldiers clustered into the field, looking around puzzled as to where my location was. The commander of the platoon soon appeared as well, the first I had seen of his face. Nevertheless, they would all be dead soon, and my mission here would be complete.

Counting to three, I slowly nocked three arrows into my bow, a faint purple glow casted over them with the draconic energy imbued. With the soldiers taking a sort a 'defensive' formation, to prepare for any incoming attacks, I presumed, I struck the first soldiers I could hit with **Cluster Shot**, a multi-arrow attack that alerted them to my presence. I jumped over with a somersault as they tried the best to take me out with a barrage of bullets, which all missed, I might add. I landed on the ground, taking the almost-ready-to-shoot-me soldier with **Piercing Fang**, before spreading my wings, gliding around in a circular motion, shooting down the outer layer of soldiers with **Quick Archer**, a skill that allowed me to temporarily quicken my reloading pace with my bow, shooting relatively quick and multiple arrows at targets, one by one.

Soon, their bullets faltered, and I took the chance to dive straight into the middle of the group of soldiers, sending them all tumbling back and landing on the floor. The commander was far smarter than he let on, managing to dodge my attack and be ready to strike me again; though not smart enough to predict my next move. I knocked his rifle away with **Piercing Fang**, and sent out an undetectable wave of dragon energy to react with the dragon arrows, causing them to pulsate with purple glows around me in a circle.

I pointed my bow into the sky as thin pillars of purple energy rose from the ground, and the whole surrounding area began to glow, along with my body. I released the energy all at once, firing a blast of energy in the shape of a dragon into the sky as the ten beams of purple energy joined it. The dragon soon coiled around me, its energy gathering into my bow and into my palm. I then released my bow, and in that same instant punched my hand into the ground, invoking: _**O dragon of terror, fall from the skies above and arise to unleash your fury! Radiant Drake!**_

The energy blast out in all directions before rising into a devastating skyward beam of energy, destroying the surrounding forest and instantly killing all the soldiers, save one. The commander had been smart enough to save himself from the attack, but before he could pick up his rifle again, I had my bow and arrow nocked at his neck, ready to slice his throat.

"Now that that's over, perhaps you would be keen on telling me why Betrayal Force has been excavating Senstones, and why they've been hunting for ancient scrolls recently? I don't seem to remember Betrayal Force having an interest in antiquity."

* * *

><p>-Silver-<p>

**Location: Centrales City  
>Date: 18<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 6:15 PM<br>Historia: Present**

I sat down and put the silvery metallic instrument up to my mouth, and as air rushed into the instrument; a nostalgic tune surrounded me, a restful song that brought me back to the past to reminisce, all the while calming me down. I continued playing, the soothing sounds of the harmonica dancing around the rooftop, while the sunset painted the sky with a wide array of colors, making it the perfect end to a rather uneventful day. My memory shifted to go through all that had happened today, which was literally nothing. I was to stay inside Centrales City at all times and wasn't permitted to leave the outskirts of the city at all. My next checkup wouldn't be for another few days, so really all I could do was nothing.

I had spent the entire day reading and practicing on my harmonica, but other than that the whole day was quite uneventful.

I ended the song right there, putting my harmonica right beside me as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and the moon appeared in the night sky, illuminating the area with a silvery glow. Stars dotted the endless darkness, a mesmerizing picture in all. I just lay there in the moonlight, on the rooftop, feeling my eyelids getting heavy and on the verge of dozing off. It was then I heard a clanking noise come from below me, then followed by faint sounds of footsteps across a tiled floor that soon shifted to ruffling leaves.

I got up almost immediately, grabbing my harmonica and placing it in one of the cases that came with the brown belt that I always wore, except in sleep. I looked down from my high viewpoint and saw a distinct shadow dashing across the front porch of the house that I had been assigned to stay in, and the shadow crossed the silent roads of Centrales City at high speeds, to the point of almost being invisible.

_Who the heck is that? What was he doing in my house? If he stole something, he's going to get it!_

I jumped down from the rooftop, which I miraculously survived thanks to the 'hybrid form' that I had attained from those painful experiments. Without alerting the guards assigned to protect me, I sneaked away and continued to chase after the shadow, which had already reached the eastern gate of Centrales City and had begun walking into the outskirts of the city, which were covered in forest from the eastern areas.

I followed in hot pursuit, leaving the safety of the city to enter the forests beyond, and the first thing I did when I reached the green forest was…

"Damn! I really hate forests! Why did that guy have to run into the forest of all places?!"

Generally, I hated all places that had dirt since dirt tended to have a negative effect on me, making me feel itchy all over, to the point where I felt like scratching my entire body to high heaven. In fact, just standing there in the midst of the forested area made me start to twitch and I could already feel the itch coming on. Luckily for me, I didn't have to wait there long before the shadowed figure came out of hiding. It was SOOOO not the person I was expecting to see.

I supposed I expected to see someone that kinda looked like a thief, but the person standing before me now looked nothing like that. It was a girl, much to my surprise, and even more surprising was that she was a hybrid. She was a red-haired girl, with pretty short locks, stretching down only to her shoulders. She also had red eyes that literally crept the hell out of me, like she could kill me just by staring at me. She had a really small body build, really thin and really tall (kinda like a twig… but I would never say that) She had pale skin despite her deadly features, which I could barely see under that ninja-like hood. Faint features of a black jumpsuit could be seen hidden under her set of clothes, which were a red hoodie, a pair of dark blue jeans and black sneakers. She'd be the type of girl to assassinate people for money, if you ask me, not the type to be sneaking around and stealing stuff.

"Heh. Looks like not all of you guys are chumps. I almost thought I'd be able to get in and out without any interference. Looks like I stand corrected." She said triumphantly.

"Give back what you stole, thief, and we can both walk away unharmed." A snarling voice came from me, hoping to frighten her into returning whatever she stole.

"Oh, my… So quick to get to the point. Although, I'm afraid I will have to decline your generous offer. I'm keeping whatever I stole. A girl has to make a living, you know."

"Well, then. Since you're a hybrid, you'll excuse me if I… do this!" I said the last word, throwing several knives at her, which she unsurprisingly dodged with ease.

"Well, well. So you do have some fight in you after all," She paused, before gathering what looked to be icy energy into her palms that then began to glow light blue, before she continued, "in that case, let's fight. If you win, I'll return what I stole. If you lose, forgive me for not showing any mercy."

"If that's how you want it…" I drew my knives from their pouches, continuing, "then let's fight!" I ended it with three more daggers flying at her face before sidestepping out of instinct.

She dodged the daggers, but was soon met with two more flying at her face, which she sliced through with her palm, now glowing in blue energy as she invoked '**Ice Blade!**'. I slid to a stop as she fired an **Icy Wind** at me, obvious by it's mediocre appearance compared to if it was a majestic 'Blizzard', which would really cause a whole lot of problems. I somehow managed to somersault over the blast of cold wind, and throwing a couple more daggers as I landed. The battle then shifted to a chasing stage. She dodged by back-stepping and fleeing through the forest. I really loathed dirty places, and the thought of going into the forest when the itchy feeling had already begun to cover me made me cringe.

But, I had far too much pride to back down like a coward, so I chased after her in hot pursuit. Using my trademark dagger skill '**Knife Boomerang**', I threw a couple of daggers at high speeds in a circular motion, getting rid of most of the endless foliage, clearing the path to chase after her, who was still in my sights. Taking three more daggers out of their pouches, I threw them straight at her, who looked back just in time to notice them flying at her and use her **Ice Blade** to slice through them. Though, the intent of those daggers weren't to actually damage her, but to get her to slow down long enough for me to stop her from running.

I invoked '**Disarming Voice!**' as I let out a cry, one that came with my hybrid form, an attack that I let loose as a wave of sound that instantly paralyzed the fleeing thief as she stopped to cover her ears and try to not fall asleep, since that was one of the side effects that came with the attack. With the attack over, she somersaulted backwards to the furthest end of another clearing in the forest, as I emerged from the cleared path on the other end.

"You've got nowhere to run. If you flee, I'll just catch up with you, so give it up!"

"Not so soon. You haven't even seen half of my full power. I suppose my hopes of ending this fight quickly has gone out the window."

A sudden strong gale blew past me, causing my hair and clothes to blow along with the wind. A dark and cold energy seemed to be sucked into the thief in front of me, as if she was gathering the energy in massive amounts. An aura gathered around her, shocking me and covering me in fright and fear. The sky seemed to darken, even though in actuality it was still sky blue and the sun was still shining bright in the sky. A blizzard seemed to coat the forest like the top of freezing peaks.

"Now, you still want to fight?"

"More than you know." I replied.

In a split second, I threw three daggers at her swirling black and cold aura, hoping to pierce her to end this fight, but she deflected the daggers with ease using her **Icy Wind**, now more powerful with the energy she gathered. The cold wind blew past my daggers and approached me, but luckily I dodged in time by jumping over the wind and hurling four more daggers at her, to which she sliced each in half with quick slashes using her **Ice Blade**. I landed on the ground feet first, and dashes towards her, tossing three more daggers toward her, with two more thrown to the side using **Knife Boomerang** and two more wielded in my hands, ready for some melee combat.

She dashed forward in response, creating actual blades of ice stretched out like claws from the palms of her hands, and sliced quickly through my three daggers, clashing against my two measly daggers, which I held in my hand and my hands began to strain under the sheer power that the blades of ice brought to the fight. Thankfully, I still had one more trump card, and I stood her down, holding my position as the two curving daggers flew to strike her back, and a cried out a shout of joy inside me. My efforts, I soon found out, was futile, as she pushed me backwards with her two blades of ice, turning around in a swirling motion as she fired what looked like a **Dark Pulse** at the daggers, causing the metallic knives to shatter instantly.

She then continued her twirling, the blades of ice having black residual energy on them as she cut through the air in her whirl, invoking '**Dark Blade!**', with the blades of ice slicing through the air and releasing a blade-like wave of dark energy coated in freezing winds. The daggers I threw at the wave simply were either sliced in two or deflected completely, as the energy impacted me in the chest and sent me flying back towards a nearby tree. She then dashed forward at crazy speeds and as I recovered from the impact, she sliced across my body as she dashed behind me. I heard her whisper '**Black Ice.** Freeze.' and from the two slashes my body instantly erupted in a stalagmite of ice, leaving my already crippled body frozen and stuck there.

I felt stinging pains as two more slashes were added to my back, slashing through the ice and utterly defeating me, as my opponent stood triumphantly over me, with my eyes closing and sight fading to black.

* * *

><p>-Risk-<p>

**Location: Betrayal Force Lab- X721  
>Date: 18<strong>**th**** April 2179  
>Time: 9:16 PM<br>Historia: Present**

"So, this is the place, huh?"

"Yeap," Xaleil chimed in, "this is where the Brigadier General will most likely be held captive. This is one of the major labs, where they run tests for major projects, or so I've been told."

"Alright, then. Are we going to take the sneaky approach or we just ram through the front door?"

"I vote the sneaky approach!" I heard Xavier suggest quickly.

"Alright then. Let's approach from the front, assassinate the two front guards, and then use the dark of night to our advantage to find a hiding place. Most probably, from the front, we should head to just behind those trucks in the compound there, the fastest and safest hiding spot."

"Let's go already! Waiting here won't accomplish anything!" Xaleil impatiently whispered.

"Let's go." I replied, as we made our way down from the forested hill and left the cover of the green foliage. We slid down the steep hill quietly, only making the occasional shuffling noises that did nothing to alert the guards of our presence from that distance. We soon landed feet first, except for Xaleil who landed on his butt, at the bottom of the hill, and we rushed to take cover behind a nearby bush as we surveyed the situation and area, hoping to find a place where we could easily take the two of them out.

Eventually, we settled on a distraction-type plan. Xaleil stayed put in the bush we were hiding, while Xavier and I used the darkness the covered the wall of the compound to 'blend in'. Xaleil made a rustling noise in the bush, and the perfect 'Go check it out.' came from the guard's mouth. Surely enough, one of the guards did as he was told, and approached the rustling bush. Using my leaf blades, I sliced clean through the guards armor, cutting a deep gash into his back that made him scream, just loud enough for the second guard to hear. According to plan, the second guard left his post and came to check up on the screaming guard, and just as he approached the first guard…

"**Freeze Tomb!**" Xavier invoked.

Six glaciers of ice struck the ground, surrounding the two guards and trapping them in pillars of ice. From the six glaciers, a prison of ice formed, completely immobilizing them inside the ice.

"Alright, let's go. C'mon, Xaleil."

"Wait up! Let me turn off the lights first." Xaleil said, a sly smirk forming on his face.

Xavier and I watched as he approached the control panel for the compound, and started to tinker with it, pulling out wires and buttons and connecting them to form one huge complicated system. I swear if I stared at that trying to figure it out, my brain would fry itself. Xaleil then placed his palm on the wires nonchalantly, sending jolts of electricity so massive that it was visible with the naked eye. The bolts of electricity entered the control panel, and in an instant the lights shut themselves off, eliciting many sounds of shock and surprise from the guards inside.

"Alright, now's our best chance. Let's go!"

"Can't argue there!" Xaleil replied, already rushing into the compound.

With Xavier and I following suit, the three of us ran behind the trucks, as the lights flickered back on and the situation returned to normal. I motioned for Xavier and Xaleil to follow me, as I approached a nearby door, and tried to open it, before realizing the futility of the attempt. It was locked, and I had the perfect remedy for it. I prepared my leaf blades, slicing twice in a cross formation, effectively eliminating the steel obstacle.

Instantly as the obstacle, a deafening silence filled the surroundings.

_Good, they haven't noticed us just yet. _

I put one finger over my mouth, gesturing silence from the two hybrids behind me, as I walked off through one of the corridors on this complicated structure. It wasn't long before I had come to an intersection, with three more paths branching off in different directions. It had to be my pure luck that a map was stuck onto the side of the wall, and that there was even a 'You Are Here' dot that showed exactly where we were.

I sweatdropped as I thought, _What the heck…? Why would there be a map here? It's as if this is a shopping mall or something, the guards should already know where everything is. All I can say is… dumb architect?_

Whatever the case, we had struck a sign of luck as the map showed exactly where to go to get to the nearest elevator, which had to lead to the basement and evidently would most likely be where our friend would be, if he's in this building at all. We dashed off in the exact direction, taking a left at the next intersection, a right, another left and two more rights before going straight and noticing the elevator in the distance.

_Talk about complicated layout, whoever designed this has the mind of a kid._

Quickly, I mashed the button on the elevator, and almost immediately the elevator dinged and the doors opened, to reveal no one inside. We'd been lucky so far, but our mission had only just begun. Entering the elevator, we silently and quickly reached the bottom floor, and we were led out into an empty and dark hallway, lined with steel and metal walls with cameras hung on them.

Converging energy onto my leaf blades, I brought my left hand to my right forearm, where my energy boomerangs were ready to be thrown. After angling my hand a bit, to which Xaleil and Xavier watched silently, I threw one boomerang after another, and sighed in relief after hearing the satisfying 'thunk' of metal smashing against metal, and the familiar sound of electronics being smashed into pieces.

We walked out of the elevator cautiously, to face the darkness of the laboratory corridor, relieved to see that all the nearby cameras had been smashed completely, keeping us hidden from the surveillance of all those soldiers. I shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if we appeared on all of their screens at once. We'd never be able to kill them all off.

"C'mon! The Brigadier General should be this way!" Xaleil exclaimed, with more enthusiasm than normal.

_I suppose the thought of seeing someone you respect so much would make anyone happy._

We followed the now leading Plusle-hybrid down the dark corridor, using the glow of Xaleil's electricity contained inside one of Xavier's ice crystals as a makeshift lamp, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see crap down here.

_You'd think, that since scientists probably visit this place often, they'd at least think to place some electronic lights on the ceiling or the sides of the walls._

We continued walking through the dark and damp corridors, only being able to see around three feet in front of us as we did. Walking in the darkness, a slight fear and uncertainty slowly crept into my heart as the deafening silence began the purely creep me out. There wasn't a sound; save for our soft and nearly quiet steps we took on the metallic ground and the heavy breathing eliciting from our mouths.

It was then, that the darkness faded.

Instantly, lights from all around blasted on, blinding us instantly with their shine as the flicked on one by one, and soon we realized what we had just walked into. As soon as our eyes adjusted to the glaring lights, we could clearly see that the room was gigantic, at least two kilometers wide, as if it were a large arena of sorts. Jutting from the ground were various rock formations, placed haphazardly around the room, and many platforms were plastered to the walls high above us, imitating spectator seats.

In one, I could see a cloaked figure, in another, I could see many generals and commander-like people, and wearing uniforms bearing that cursed insignia. Scientists were spread out equally through out the four spectator spots, with pens and notepads in their hands ready to take information. At the opposite point of the room, I could see a very unfamiliar face appear, walking towards the battlefield.

She had lightly tanned skin, with long dark purple hair that reached just below her shoulders, with red irises that seemed to rival mine in fierceness. A slender build, whilst wearing a hat that made her look way too much like a pirate, and a tail that resembled that of a Houndoom. She was wearing a duster, a light, loose-fitting robe-like piece of clothing that made her look so much like a rebel, a red short-sleeved shirt present inside the coat. She was wearing long pants, and boots with spurs, a cross between a pirate and cowgirl.

She approached the center of the battlefield that seemed to be marked by a symbol on the ground that resembled a piece of old technology. That of a Pokéball, something that hadn't been in production or used ever since hybrid technology surfaced in our world. It resembled that of an old Pokémon battling ground, back when everyone was still sane and Pokémon battling was considered an art, a sport that everyone enjoyed, even the Pokémon themselves.

"Guys, get back. I don't know what they want, but I'd like to check this out myself." I said.

Xaleil and Xavier stepped back after nodding their heads, slowly walking backwards until they had reached the doorway. A whirring mechanism clicked and brought a steel door crashing down, blocking the only exit that was present here, as far as I could see. Xaleil and Xavier both sighed, most likely cursing themselves for not realizing how obvious that was, before taking their places against the walls at the edge of the battlefield.

Once I knew they were in the lowest chance of danger possible, I walked forward in response to the girl's quiet hostility. The both of us approached each other, walking step after step towards the center of the battlefield, on either sides of the Pokéball depiction. Everyone in the room felt the tension in the air, as they awaited the imminent battle that was about to take place. The girl had a poker face expression, save a smirk and playfulness in her eyes.

The two of us took our places on either sides of the battlefield.

"Who are you, and what's going on here?" I growled in a low voice.

"Heh. The name's Victoria. We sent out a false rumor that a friend of yours was being held captive here. And just as expected, you took the bait. I have orders to eliminate you, though how I do it is completely up to me. I think I'll finish you fast," She pulled out two revolvers, twirling one around her finger with the other pointed towards the ground, "but try to keep me entertained until the end, huh?" She smirked.

"Don't worry," I prepared a green sphere in my palm, "you won't last long enough to enjoy this fight."

"We'll see." She smiled evilly, before she stepped one foot forward, and with inhuman speed she dashed towards me.

_What the hell!?_

I sidestepped her charge, but didn't expect the immediate follow-up attack that came after, she dropped her revolvers in mid-air, and dark energy gathered in her palms, materializing black-purplish claws around her hands. Twirling around and slashing me twice straight in the chest, the force of her attack sent my flying backwards and crashing into the nearest stalagmite, blood oozing out from my chest through the cuts of her attack.

I opened my eyes almost immediately after recovering, and saw her stop herself by putting one foot down on the ground, erasing her two claws and re-grabbing her twin revolvers in mid-air, both of them pointed at me, ready to fire at any time. I slowly got up, with those two guns still pointed at me, ready to kill me if I tried anything funny. Little did she know, I already did.

A good two seconds past before her stance crumbled, as something pierce her from behind. She twisted her head in pure pain to look at her attacker, and what she saw was a curved form of my leaf blades, completely crafted from terra energy. Her pure shock gave me just enough time to escape from the stalemate earlier, and I this time approached her quickly, running in zigzag motions as she tried desperately to ignore the piercing pain and unload her bullets into my body.

I dodged each one, managing to anticipate her sluggish actions, thanks to that surprise attack I had dealt her earlier. I soon reached just in front of her, and as she pointed those revolvers to kill me at point-blank range, I used my leaf blades to easily disarm her and push her backwards, before using my shoulder to charge her, sending her scraping through the ground until she came to a stop. The impact had scraped the boomerang off, but it had done its work.

"Well, that was a simple battle-" I managed to say, before I felt a tingling feeling down my spine.

I spun around just in time to see a blast of red hot flames fly my way, blazing just inches past my face as I sidestepped the attack. Almost instantly and without warning, the flamethrower was backed up by three more claw slices, one on each arm, and one straight across my abdomen, blood spluttering out as I felt the pain erupt from the attacks. I witnessed my formerly fallen opponent retract her elongated claws, as she walked over and bent down to pick up her revolvers, whilst I had to focus on not losing too much blood.

"You're good, I see why Adrien had so much trouble defeating you before. I'll admit, I underestimated you a little bit, but the intended outcome is the same. I'll kill you right here and now, and then I'll brag about it to piss off my superior." She smirked, almost shrugging off the pain I had dealt her before.

_What the hell? She's acting as if the past two minutes didn't even exist!_

"If you're wondering how I can take so much pain… Well, someone as weak as you doesn't deserve to know! You're going to die now, anyways, so telling you won't be any good." She pointed her twin revolvers at my head, point-blank range, and I could hear a bullet arming itself inside the guns.

"Risk!" I heard Xavier shout.

I caught the sight of Xaleil and Xavier rushing over to help, but they stopped in their tracks when Victoria pointed one of her revolvers at the two of them.

"Both of you will stay still. One move and I kill him and the two of you. Don't underestimate how fast I can fire two bullets." To show her skills, she fired four bullets each around the two of them, eight bullets in an instant.

They stood frozen in their tracks, as Victoria turned her attention back to me.

"Unfortunately, as much as I want to kill you, I need to turn you over to my superiors first, so be ready for some torturous pain. After that, then I'll kill you and turn your relatively alive corpse over to Adrien. He'll owe me a favor, then."

I heard the bullet inch closer and closer to being fired, even though the gun was still pointed at my head, I had no doubt she could switch her target from my head to somewhere like my legs or some vital part of my body which would render me unable to fight. Then, I experienced a miracle.

"**Dark Brave Cross!**"

Victoria jumped backwards as cross-shaped dark waves of energy struck the ground at where she once stood, and rubble from the ceiling crashed into the battlefield, a combination of steel, rock and ground caving in through a hole in the wall and two unfamiliar shadows appeared before me.

A boy about my age, with coffee-brown hair and black silvery mane that seemed to be an extension of his own hair covered his entire back. He had light complexion and brown irises that matched his hair, as well as faint sideburns. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt with no designs on it, with dark blue knee-length shorts and a pair of blue sneakers. Sort of the stereotypical rebellious teenager, save the distinct claws that he had on his fingers.

The second figure was a much younger boy. This one looked about 13 years old, with unruly blue short hair and really big red eyes. He was significantly shorter than the previously mentioned teenager, and he had two distinct cotton puffs, one on each wrist. He was wearing a white beanie on his head, with a blue T-shirt underneath a zipped down white hooded vest, coupled with blue jeans that had a belt with a cotton puff in the middle. Blue iron boots completed his outfit, sort of like the stereotypical cute, yet annoying anime kid.

"Xaleil! You're alright!" The kid with the blue hair exclaimed in pure delight, running over to the Plusle-hybrid.

"Miles?" Xaleil questioningly remarked as he took the kid in his arms, "What are you doing here?"

"I don't really know." He pointed to the aforementioned teenager that he came with, "Ask him, he said you'd be in danger, so I followed him."

Xaleil looked over to the teenager, and so did I, whilst Xavier was still the only one confused, rubbing his head and asking himself what the heck was going on. Meanwhile, the three-timed mentioned teenager introduced himself.

"Well, this is a pickle. I had hoped to only meet Risk under these circumstances, but then you two are here too…" He pointed a finger at Xavier and Xaleil, "But, whatever, I suppose. Name's Aeth. Aeth Opacis." He held out a hand for me, and I took it.

"Who… are you?" I asked.

"How dare you… interrupt my fight!" Victoria's voice boomed.

She whipped out her two revolvers at breakneck speeds and started unloading her bullets into the five hybrids that were present. Haphazard shooting and bullets started flying everywhere, in every single possible direction whilst we tried our best to survive by doing some mean acrobatics. Well, that was me, the others did something more sane.

The kid, who was introduced as Miles, was hiding behind a fluffy wall of white cotton that seemed to serve as a very impressive defense, bouncing off all the bullets that hit it. Xaleil was dodging easily using his warping ability, Spark, and any bullet that came to him just phased through his body as he warped somewhere else. He didn't even seem tired doing it all those times.

Xavier adopted the hiding strategy from the kid, now blocking the bullets with an ice shield that seemed to resemble bulletproof glass from all the energy that he was putting into maintaining the barrier. The aforementioned teenager, Aeth, held one hand out and his eyes began to glow red, and every bullet that came towards him just stopped in mid-air and fell to the ground with clattering noises. Probably an enhanced version of the Pokémon move 'Psychic'.

Soon, Victoria ran out of bullets to fire for a split second, and I took the opportunity to instantly charge up a sphere of green energy in my palm, and by the time Victoria was ready to fire her bullets again, I met the steel shells with blast of green energy, striking each and every bullet with Terra Blitz.

Victoria soon gave up on her bullet-based assault, and changed to a physical style instead, charging at me with her elongated claws active, which this time Aeth met with his blade, a black colored blade that was radiant in the glaring lights, a star of darkness imbedded in the center of its cross-guard. Aeth pushed the claw-wielding hybrid backwards, and charged her, and Victoria met his blade with her Shadow Claws, trading range for speed and power.

In one lucky strike, she pushed Aeth back, and she stabbed the ground with her claw, and an instant bang of energy went straight into the ground, stalagmites erupting from the ground in spiked formations, rushing towards Aeth. Aeth jumped up and took a step on one of the blunted ground spikes, before stepping aside as the line of ground spikes rushed the wall and broke the steel walls with spikes erupting from it.

An alarm began to sound, and red light enveloped the arena as hundreds of Betrayal Force soldiers poured into the two-kilometer wide arena. Victoria retreated, a fiery vengeance in her eyes that said: "_You got lucky this time, Risk. I'll kill you next time, no questions asked."_ And I believed her, which sent a shiver down my spine.

"Well, then, this is a pickle. I'd hoped to get out of here after rescuing you guys, but it seems it's going to be a little work." Aeth remarked, "Miles! Hand over what I told you to take and give it to Xaleil!"

"Uh… sure!" The blue-haired kid dug into his bag and quickly produced what looked to be a mechanized sword hilt, which he handed over to Xaleil.

"Miles! You brought this?" Xaleil exclaimed, "Risk! Take this, now! Don't ask questions, just say 'Realize'!" He threw the mechanized sword hilt over to me, which I caught, but not before stumbling a bit and the sword hilt dancing between my palms like I had butterfingers.

"Hurry!" Xaleil warned.

I nodded, before turning my attention to the hilt, "Realize!"

Instantly, as if by magic, the hilt flashed for a second and a cross-guard extended from its sides, and in its center a silvery blade stretched until it reached a length at least half my size.

"Whoa…" I remarked in awe.

_This gives me a new idea… Let's try Energy Manipulation once more._

I felt energy gather in the palm of my hand, in the one I was wielding the now badass sword in, and I willed it to stretch beyond my hand, reach the particles of the hilt, to the cross-guard, to the sword's blade, coating it in a film of blazing energy, fusing the energy with the elements that comprised the sword. The terra energy blazed brightly, now covering the sword, and with it, unlocked a new power.

_Let's try this out!_

I dashed towards the nearest group of soldiers, which had their rifles cocked straight at me and began firing wildly, unloading lead into my silhouettes and I dashed from left to right, dodging the bullets one by one. I put one foot forward and halted mid-dash, pushing forwards and upwards, jumping over the lead assault, and diving blade first into the group of soldiers. The blade, blazing green, had now become an extension of my fighting style.

"**Terra Ballistic!**" I crashed into the soldiers and slashed my blade around in a wide arc, the terra energy splitting from the blade and creating a green wave of energy that pushed all of the surrounding soldiers backward, crashing into each other and toppling at least twenty soldiers like dominos. Xavier and Xaleil stood watching in awe as I stood up with the green-coated sword in hand, a new power flowing through me.

"Well, then, shall we begin kicking their asses into tomorrow?" I smirked.

* * *

><p>X: Well, I cannot believe I'm finally done.<br>Risk: It's about time! You've been away from this story for TWO WHOLE MONTHS! EXPLAIN YOURSELF, YOU HEATHEN.  
>X: Chill, chill. I was busy you know. School's not doing any favors for me. And I've been working on my other fanfic. You should already know that.<br>Risk: Still, you should at least find time to do that at least once per month or something. Actually, scratch that, you have another fanfic you haven't been doing for eight months.  
>X: Relax. I'll find some way around it. And besides, now that I'm done with this chapter, it's where all the action really starts to come in. Now it's exciting again!<p>

Anyway, sorry for the really long delay, and I'm sorry for making you guys wait for so long. Hope you guys will be patient with me and wait for the next chapter. Until then!


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